Breaking Them In
by Kachanski
Summary: On a whim Kenpachi adopts a child, a little pink haired bundle of mischief. He easily overcomes the challenge of taming her and can't resist it when he is offered a new challenge, this time in the form of two troubled teens. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Eheh...sorry if the title is a little...odd...It was really difficult to come up with one. ^_^ That said...I hope you enjoy this!**

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The hulking man seemed out of place in the small, drably coloured room, his shoulders hunched uncomfortably as he sat opposite the serious looking panel, all dressed smartly, observing him carefully.

Eventually, a serene looking woman, who a few moments previously had identified herself as Unohana Retsu, spoke. "Well Mr. Zaraki, I think that's all." She offered him a smile. "Shall I go and fetch her?"

Kenpachi nodded slowly, still wondering a little what had possessed him to do this, but there was no going back now; he never retreated. It was odd though; something had tugged at when when he had seen some children playing, a whirlwind of energy and fearlessness, and he had suddenly began to desire some sort of companionship. It was probably something to do with his age, but the next day he had found himself phoning social services and asking about adoptions.

That had been almost a year ago, in that time there had been piles of killer forms, interviews, meetings with children and more interviews to test his resolve. The panel stood and left, leaving Kenpachi to shift in his clothes, ill at ease. He had wanted to look smart, but was beginning to think that dressing more casually would have been a better idea, he felt like his tie was slowly strangling him.

It was only a few moments until the worker returned, a small girl clasping her hand, her eyes taking in everything they saw until finally coming to rest on Kenpachi, large and inquisitive. She had grown a little since he had last seen her, but she still had the strange bubblegum pink hair and a face that lit up when it smiled, unafraid of anything.

Unohana looked down at her as she lead the girl towards the large man. "Yachiru, this is Zaraki Kenpachi. He's going to take you home and look after you." The woman gave the little girl a push in the other's direction to encourage her, but needn't have bothered as she scurried up to the huge man without hesitation.

When she was in front of him she smiled widely and bowed. "Very pleased to meet you!" She recited, evidently having had the importance of politeness drummed into her, before beginning to tug on Kenpachi's trouser leg. "So, so...will you play with me!?"

Unsure how to react Kenpachi patted her roughly on the head "'Course" he said gruffly before picking the little girl up as if she were as light as a feather, which she seemed to delight in, squealing and clinging to his shoulder.

Unohana smiled, a genuine smile this time, unforced. "It looks like you two will get on very well, although she is a bundle of trouble when she wants to be." She handed Kenpachi some papers. "These are details about her that you might need, her date of birth, previous care and any important notes."

The large man took them, shifting the wriggling girl slightly to glance at them. "Four" he commented, glancing briefly at her. "She's small for her age."

"It must be all the running around." The woman opened the door for the pair and followed them out. "Someone will be visiting in a couple of months to see how you're getting on."

Again Kenpachi nodded, following the suited woman through the building. Through half opened doors he could see other children, of all ages sitting or playing, but one room in particular caught his eye and he paused.

There were two children facing the door, almost in their teens by the look of it. They watched him suspiciously, especially the larger of the two, who glared at him almost accusingly, his clean shaven head a strange sight in a child so young. After a few moments the smaller of the two, slender and pretty, tugged at the other's sleeve silently, watching Kenpachi carefully but pulling his companion's attention away from the large man and the squirming girl in his arms. With a grudging huff the boy turned his attention away, almost angrily, and stalked out of sight, the smaller boy following closely.

It took a few moments to catch up to Unohana, who was waiting for him by the door, a questioning expression on her face. Kenpachi offered no explanation and wasn't pushed as they finally reached the fresh air of the outdoors, where Kenpachi thanked the worker for her time and put Yachiru down for a final wave at the drab building.

Although the two boys lingered briefly in his mind he gave them no further thought, he had his work cut out getting the excited girl into his car, feeling the observant woman's eyes on his back as he struggled with her. He was glad he was out of that place, with its muted, almost forced atmosphere and its hopeful children, and he was glad that he had managed to escape it with a child, as opposed to empty handed.

XOXOX

It wasn't until two years later that he happened to pass the place again and the first thing that caught his eye were two teenagers standing in the yard, one bristling in anger at a group of boys a little way away, the other leaning against a wall, watching carefully as the taller stormed up to the offending group.

They were instantly recognisable and the sheer serendipity of the situation stopped Kenpachi in his tracks. They didn't look too different, they had grown a little, filled out and their features had matured, but that was all. He watched as the boys readied for a fight and the shaven-headed teen leapt into the fray with a relish which made Kenpachi smile. So engrossed with the sight was he that he didn't notice the woman beside him until she spoke.

"Hello. I didn't expect to see you here." It was Unohana, obviously enjoying a day off. Her voice was soft but welcoming. She had visited several times over the two years to check on Yachiru, and they had developed something of a fellowship, her respect for him fuelled by his surprisingly apt handling of the hyperactive child.

Kenpachi grunted in greeting and returned his attention back to the brawl.

Unohana followed his gaze and nodded a little sadly. "Fighting again. One day he's going to bite off more than he can chew."

"Who are they?"

The worker seemed a little surprised at the large man's interest, knowing well by now that it was rare for him to show interest in that which didn't concern him. "Ikkaku and Yumichika. They've been here for years."

Kenpachi glanced at the smaller woman. "Why hasn't someone taken 'em."

"Well," She coughed uncomfortably. "They come as a pair for starters, and most people don't want pairs. One wont go anywhere without the other, though they've got more independent as they've grown older. Also...they have some problems."

"Problems?"

"Strong insecurity, manifested as aggression and extreme vanity. Ikkaku especially is a problem, he sees everyone as a threat and wants to fight them, probably to reinforce his worth to himself."

Kenpachi snorted at the psycho-babble his companion was spouting. It was probably true, but it didn't mean that he cared. By now the eager fighter, who he assumed to be Ikkaku, was lying on the floor, his nose bloody, resisting the attempts of the other to help him up.

Kenpachi smiled, there was something about them that he liked, especially Ikkaku. They had spirit, strong spirit. He straightened a little and sighed. "Its been getting a little lonely since Yachiru started school." He commented.

Unohana looked up at him, still holding his strained pretence of nonchalance, a small smile spreading across her face as realisation dawned. "You mean..."

Kenpachi grunted. "I think I could knock some sense into them. Especially that one." He pointed at the prone figure of Ikkaku. "Don't matter if they come as a pair, an' I don't care about their 'problems'"

Her smile widened as she listened. "That's excellent! Of course there would still be formal processes that we have to go through, and we would of course have to assess, not your suitability, but their suitability considering you already have Yachiru, but I'm almost certain that it will be approved."

Again a grunt and Kenpachi shrugged, still watching the pair as Ikkaku finally relented to Yumichika's patient coaxing and allowed himself to be tended to. Something about them was fascinating.

Unohana nodded, not needing to be told. "I'll start that as soon as I can. Perhaps tomorrow. I'll call you to let you know." She paused, looking up at the huge man. "They are problematic, but I'm sure that you will be an excellent influence on them, as you were on Yachiru. It will be good for them to get out of that place, they've spent far too long there." With those encouraging words and a serene smile she left Kenpachi to his thoughts.

Somehow, the family which started out as one had become two, a conscious decision, but now it was soon to become four. Three 'problem' children with one uncompromising parent. To many the prospect would be daunting, but Kenpachi found, to his mild alarm and secret pleasure, that he was looking forward to it and all the challenges accompanying. For too long his life had been dull, now it was time for some fun, and breaking the two teens in promised it without a doubt.

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**Reviews make a happy writer! ^_^ and its true! Extreme insecurity is sometimes manifested as vanity. Makes you think doesn't it?**


	2. Chapter 2

***cough*** **Next chapter! woo!** **This is the first time I've even contemplated doing anything longer than a two chapter story, so yay, but also my apologies if it isn't great, as I've never done this sort of thing before ^_^**

**That said...I hope you enjoy this!  
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He had said he didn't care about their 'problems', but this was just too much. The brat was refusing to sleep in his room and, he had discovered, had been sleeping in Ikkaku's room for the past week. "Why?" Kenpachi snarled, his frayed nerves threatening to finally snap.

The boy stared at him as if the answer was blindingly obvious, and only a moron could miss it. "The colour, the colour of course! You can't expect me to sleep in a room that's that sort of disgusting green grey!"

Extreme vanity? Unohana hadn't been kidding, the teen saw everything in terms of 'ugly' or 'beautiful'. 'the room was ugly' 'the garden was ugly'... Kenpachi scowled. "That's the colour it is, lump it."

Yumichika glared at him sulkily but before he could reply Yachiru bounded round the corner, skidding to a halt between the two of them. To Kenpachi's surprise the little girl had taken instantly to the two teens, and constantly demanded their attention, much to their irritation. She tugged at Yumichika's sleeve. "What's wrong? What's wrong? Where's Cue-ball?"

Sensing the malevolent aura emanating from the increasingly frustrated boy Kenpachi picked her up. "Leave Yumichika alone, go find Ikkaku yourself."

The little girl pouted but left as the large man shooed her away. One problem sorted, but there was still the issue of the room. He turned back to Yumichika, who was looking sullen. "Listen to me. That is your room, you will sleep in it, no negotiations. I don't care what it looks like, it could be pink and frilly, or vomit coloured, you will still sleep in it!"

An odd expression came into the other's face when Kenpachi had finished, and he nodded slowly, his eyes wide. Glad that the exhausting argument was over, Kenpachi grunted and left the boy to his thoughts.

They were, he could see deep down, all right kids, but they were uncooperative in the extreme and argumentative, and they were wearing down his nerves with their whims and difficulties. If they both had the same oddities then it might have been easier, but as it was they were very different, and he had to employ different tactics to deal with them. The saving grace of his life was Unohana, who would visit occasionally to see how the pair were getting along and was a huge help with advice on how to deal with the two. It was from her that he learned of Ikkaku's interest in Kendo, and he was making arrangements with a friend to have him learn. Yumichika's fondness for gardening had also come as a welcome surprise, and he had soon got into the teenager's good books with a present of some gardening gloves and a few pots of flowers.

As he sat and thought, a small head poked around the door frame, followed by the body of Yachiru, who crawled onto his lap evidently tired of her search for the elusive Ikkaku. "Ken-Chan? You look happy."

Rearranging the child on his lap he grunted. He had never thought that he would enjoy parenting this much, especially not with the two pain-in-the-necks that he had found himself with, but, in its own way it was oddly exhilarating. With children you never knew what they were going to do next. Never before had he considered that you could get something approaching an adrenaline rush from a child. "Yeah" he muttered gruffly, "What do you think of them?"

Yachiru paused, her childlike face thoughtful. "They argue a lot, and Cue-ball is always grumpy, but Yumi is nice, he lets me help in the garden"

"Why do you call Ikkaku cue-ball?"

Her face brightened as she replied "Because his head is all shiny, like a ball. If you got a stick, you could use it to knock the other balls around!"

Kenpachi really couldn't think of a reply to her innocent logic, so he just left it at that. They sat for a while in relative quiet. Ikkaku was nowhere to be found for the moment and Yumichika was probably sulking, so there were none of the loud outbursts which had become commonplace in the now slightly cramped house. It was a welcome reprieve.

Upstairs, Yumichika sat on his bed, the horrendous colour of the walls temporarily forgotten as he thought, his violet eyes occasionally darting from the carpet to the walls. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the doorway and he looked up with a small smile. "Yachiru was looking for you, Ikkaku." he commented.

"Bah, little brat. I don't know why someone like him would take someone like her. You have to admire his bravery though."

Yumichika nodded. "He's not like anyone else we've been put with."

"Nope! He doesn't try to connect, or understand us. His word is law. Its...refreshing." Ikkaku grinned. "Did you give in over the room?"

Eyes bright Yumichika shook his head. "No, but I had an idea. I need your help carrying some stuff."

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Kenpachi was beginning to get suspicious. He had seen no one for about an hour, they had come in carrying something, bustled around with some newspaper and then it had fallen oddly silent. Soon after that Yachiru had disappeared too. Kenpachi was all for quiet, but there was quiet and then there was _quiet_, and it was unheard of for the three of them to be in a room and not make noise that could be heard at the other end of the street. The two teenagers had never learned the value of silence and Yachiru was just naturally loud, but now there was a sort of industrious silence about the place.

With a sigh he heaved himself up, supposing that he should go and find out what they were doing. As he ascended the stairs he could hear quiet murmuring (and some not so quiet from Yachiru) coming from Yumichika's room and he slowly crept forward, cracking the door open. The sight inside left him speechless

The floor was covered with a layer of newspaper from wall to wall with not an inch of carpet showing, which was just as well because the paper was splattered with a deep, sea blue paint, especially around where Yachiru was merrily brandishing a paintbrush at the wall. A safe distance away Ikkaku was also working on a wall while keeping a wary eye on the girl. On the other side of the room the thin frame of Yumichika could be seen struggling with the bed, trying to prop it against the wall to save it from the droplets of paint being cast around the room by the pair's over enthusiastic helper.

It was a surprising sight, not because they were painting the room without asking him, but because they were working together, all three of them, like...like a family, a concept which both Ikkaku and Yumichika had vehemently denied they wanted a part in. Without a word he strode into the room and took the bed frame from the struggling boy, easily leaning it against the unpainted wall before turning to him. "You planned this yourself?"

Yumichika reddened. "You did say it didn't matter what colour it was..."

"It doesn't."

"I paid for it myself..." The teenager was getting increasingly defensive.

Kenpachi frowned a little "Idiot. If you wanted to do it that bad I'd have given you the money."

Eyes wide Yumichika opened his mouth and then shut it again, before finally asking, a little hesitantly. "You don't mind?"

Surprised at seeing this side to the normally sharp tongued boy Kenpachi shook his head. "It's your room" He muttered gruffly. "You can do what you want with it." Looking around he could see Ikkaku watching him, his clothes covered in splotches of paint. "Nice to see you today Ikkaku."

The shaven headed boy looked at the floor with an uncertain frown as Yachiru waved her brush excitedly. "Lets all paint!"

Kenpachi looked at Yumichika who just looked back at him confused. "This is your operation, you call the shots." The large man said finally. "You want some help?"

Both Yumichika and Ikkaku stared at him for a moment, they had never encountered someone who treated them like... adults, with the sort of unconcerned, gruff mixture of respect and care that he did. No adult, save Unohana, had ever asked them what they wanted, and no one, absolutely no one, had ever asked their permission to do something.

Eventually Yumichika nodded mutely and cast about himself. "But we only have three brushes..."

"There's one somewhere" Kenpachi vaguely recalled there being on in the rickety little shed at the end of the garden. "I'll go find it."

The four of them spent the rest of the day painting the small room. Together. Whenever Kenpachi glanced at them he found a new expression in Yumichika's eyes, something similar to respect and without the resentment which had been there previously. Even Ikkaku's perpetual scowl was missing as he focused on the task in front of him and for the first time they were almost like a proper family.

When they had finished and were cleaning the brushes, and Yachiru, who seemed to have got more paint on herself than the wall, Kenpachi turned to the two boys. "You can do the hall too" he said, before adding, "If you like."

The smile on Yumichika's face, and the almost smile on Ikkaku's, was entirely worth it.

They had taken a step forward.

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**Any information on what people liked or what could be changed/improved would be greatly appreciated! ^_^ Go on...you know you want to.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just have to say thank you to everyone who reviewed this, your reviews were lovely and really inspiring! I hope that the rest of it stays as good! **

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The knock on the front door caught Kenpachi entirely by surprise, it was mid morning, too early for most pamphleteers or salesmen, but a little late for the postman, who he wasn't expecting anything from anyway. Even though it was still a good couple of hours until midday, it was already very warm, and it promised to be a beautiful, although probably uncomfortably hot day. From the panicked cries sounding from the garden he could tell that Yumichika was making the most of the cool of the morning to water the flowers, and that Yachiru was trying to help, and the last he had seen of Ikkaku was a slumped figure wandering into the front room, so realistically he was the only one remaining to answer the door.

With no small amount of pride he clumped down the newly painted hall. The three children, commanded by a frighteningly efficient Yumichika, had redecorated it a few days previously and Kenpachi had been secretly amazed at the improvement it made to the place. He had never known that a lick of paint could work such wonders, but the hall looked bigger and brighter with its lighter walls, not to mention more welcoming.

As another knock sounded with a patient insistence Kenpachi clumped louder, growling under his breath. When he reached the door he yanked it open and was about to level his best glare at whoever had had the audacity to interrupt his formerly peaceful morning when he saw who it was standing on his doorstep with a serene smile.

"Good morning." She said sweetly, her eyes crinkling at the edges as she saw his expression. "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Slightly taken aback Kenpachi muttered "Ah, no." Before stepping to the side to allow the woman in.

"I did call yesterday, but no one answered, so I just left a message."

Ah yes. The answer phone. The day before Yachiru had decided to find out how it worked, which involved pulling all the cables out of the phone and tearing the reams of tape from the rather old fashioned message recorder. By the time he had discovered her it was too far gone to save and it had to be consigned to the bin.

Unohana smiled. "Its not a very reliable method of getting in touch, perhaps I should have tried calling some more"

Unwilling to point out that the reason no one answered it was probably because Yachiru had already gotten her curious little hands on it, Kenpachi nodded and lead her to the kitchen, where it appeared that Ikkaku had finally decided that he was hungry enough for breakfast. When he saw them his face instantly became a mask of suspicion, which deepened even further when Unohana greeted him, saying that she had come to talk to Kenpachi. "What about?" he asked eventually.

Kenpachi frowned at the boy. "What d'you think we're gonna talk about, how nice the weather is?"

A small chuckle escaped the woman's lips as Ikkaku bristled and Kenpachi looked unconcerned. Taking pity on the teenager she said. "Just about how you and Yumichika are getting along. Its my job to make sure you are happy."

At her words Ikkaku's scowl relented a little and he continued with his breakfast, muttering between mouthfuls. Kenpachi turned to her. "Tea?"

"Tea would be lovely, thank you." As Kenpachi made tea Yachiru ran in, a fistful of flowers clenched in her small hand, pursued by Yumichika.

"Look Look!" She cried. "I picked some flowers!" Hiding behind Kenpachi to protect herself from the angry teenager she stuck her tongue out. "Cant get me, Featherbrow! Ken-chan likes the flowers!"

Unsure whether to laugh or intervene Unohana instead looked to the large man quizzically. "Featherbrow?"

In answer Kenpachi grabbed the slim teen and spun him around, effectively answering her question and stopping the fight. He was now proudly sporting an eyebrow piercing with what, she had to admit, looked remarkably like feathers on either end of the bar. It was probably a look only he could pull off, and he did. "It suits you." she told him with a kind smile, watching as his chest puffed out in pride at her complement.

While Yumichika had been distracted Kenpachi had managed to get the slightly strangled flowers from Yachiru and was searching for a vase. He stopped as one was thrust at him and looked up to see Ikkaku, who was looking thoroughly uncomfortable as first Unohana, and then Yumichika also stopped at watch.

Looking at the floor and shifting from foot to foot Ikkaku thrust the vase forward again. "You were looking for this weren't you?" He demanded.

"Thanks." With a nod Kenpachi took it, filling it and placing it carefully in the centre of the table. As he did so Yachiru turned to Yumichika beside her, his anger at the theft of his flowers momentarily forgotten. "See, even Cue-ball liked my flowers."

With a happy squeal Yachiru fled the room as the dark haired boy asked "Your flowers?" dangerously and as Ikkaku growled "Cue-ball?" in almost prefect harmony with him.

"Well, Yachiru seems to have lost none of her energy" Unohana commented lightly as Kenpachi finally finished making tea. As he set down her mug she turned to the two boys. "Would you mind leaving us for a while, we need to talk."

As they left Yumichika closed the door quietly behind him and grabbed Ikkaku by the collar, shushing him as he began to protest and pointing to the door, his eyes bright. After a moments hesitation Ikkaku nodded and followed the smaller boy to crouch silently and listen to the conversation within.

Inside, Kenpachi sat uncomfortably, still not quite at ease with the softly spoken woman, and waited for her to begin. After a sip of her tea, she did. "It's not long until the new school year begins." She smiled wryly. "I would prepare yourself for the beginning of a long ordeal. Neither particularly likes school and they are notorious for truancy. They are lucky that their head teacher is an...understanding man, else they would have been expelled long ago."

"I'll make sure they go, even if it involves dragging them there physically" Kenpachi assured her. "Yachiru oughta enjoy that" He added with the faintest of smiles.

Unohana's eyes crinkled again as she laughed softly. "It might just require you to do that, but could you manage them both at once?"

At her joke there was a sound from outside the door, almost like an outraged breath, or perhaps a noise of irritation and both the adults turned to look at the closed door. Silently Kenpachi stood and crept towards it, throwing it open forcefully to find Ikkaku sprawled on top of a horrified looking Yumichika, evidently having been knocked over when the door opened. Kenpachi rolled his eyes. "Scram." he told them before adding. "And if you want to do that sort of stuff, go do it elsewhere."

Even Unohana had to suppress a titter at the magnificent shade of crimson which coloured the two boys faces and the spluttering as they both scrambled to their feet and backed away, trying to keep a good distance between each other in the narrow hall.

"They really have improved under your care." Unohana told him approvingly. "If anyone had told them that while they were at the home I would be willing to put a substantial amount of money on Ikkaku trying to hit them. I can see just from the few minutes that I've been here you have earned their respect. Well done."

Surprised and a little embarrassed by the praise Kenpachi rubbed his hands. "I hadn't really noticed..."

He was rewarded by another smile. "Considering their age, and their previous behaviour I can say that my expectations have been exceeded" Her face saddened slightly. "To be honest, although I hoped, I never really thought that anyone would be willing to take them in."

"Ms U-" Kenpachi began, unsure of what to say, but he was cut off.

"Please, call me Retsu. Unohana is such a mouthful."

"Retsu" He amended. "I...I'm glad I did take them in. They're a pair of brats, but they mean well."

"They are aren't they. I hear Ikkaku is going to be getting Kendo lessons soon."

"Yeah. The man who taught me offered to show him."

Unohana put her head to one side. "Wouldn't it be easier to teach him yourself?"

"Ah...I'm a little rusty." That was partially true, but the main reason was firstly that if he started teaching Ikkaku then undoubtedly either Yachiru or Yumichika would want to join in, and he didn't want to teach all three of them, and a small part of him thought that getting beat around by someone else might teach the sullen teenager some valuable lessons.

A worrying light of understanding filled the woman's eyes as she drank the last of her tea. "Well, I hope they go well, no doubt he will enjoy himself. I'm afraid I have to go now, but thank you for the tea"

Kenpachi stood too and followed her to the door. As she was about to leave she turned and touched his arm slightly. "Tell the children I wish them well, and...keep up the good work." With a final parting smile she was gone and walking brusquely down the road. A rustle beside him drew his attention from the street and he looked down to find Yachiru by his side. "I'm glad she visits us, and not the other one."

"Other one?"

Yachiru looked up at him, unusually serious. "The other man who works with her. He isn't very nice. He always told me off."

Kenpachi patted her on the head, confused by what she had just said. "Well, we don't have him, so forget him." He told her gruffly.

With a bright grin the pink haired girl nodded and scrambled up the stairs, passing Ikkaku. When she was gone Ikkaku looked at Kenpachi with a frown. "She meant Tousen." He muttered. "He was another worker at the home. He hated anyone who he saw as depraved or having 'poor moral standards'." He looked at Kenpachi squarely, his face frank and almost vulnerable for the first time. "Unohana is nice and loves everyone, but Tousen, well, no one I knew who ever met Tousen liked him. If he was visiting we would be back at the home by now." Before Kenpachi could reply he strode off.

After a moments through Kenpachi called after him. "Ikkaku!" the boy turned, an unreadable expression on his face which made Kenpachi reconsider what he was going to say. Eventually he settled for: "Get ready for your lesson, we're leaving in twenty minutes."

Kenpachi didn't know whether Ikkaku looked pleased because he didn't try to talk to him about what he had just divulged, or because he was finally going to learn Kendo.

XXXX

Promising that he would be gone for no more than half an hour Kenpachi left Yachiru in Yumichika's charge, giving the teen a packet of sweets to share with her and the advice that she would be quiet if sat down in front of a film, which, while perhaps not a good parenting technique, was an easy way of keeping her out of trouble.

Once that was dealt with he and Ikkaku drove to the Dojo where he had arranged to meet his old teacher. When they arrived Kenpachi introduced Ikkaku to a wizened looking man who was leaning on a bamboo sword. "Ikkaku, this is Mr. Yamamoto."

For a long time Ikkaku just stared at the old man until the man, tiring of being gawked at, slapped the teen around the legs with his wooden sword. "Is that how you greet people, eh?"

Ikkaku yelped but apologised, rubbing his legs. Unfortunately he then made the mistake of asking. "How did you do that so fast?" An innocent question, but his tone clearly added 'at your age' onto the end, and he was rewarded with another slap round the legs.

"Never underestimate your opponent!"

Kenpachi grinned. Ikkaku was already learning some valuable lessons, and he wasn't even holding a sword yet.

XXXX

Back at home Yumichika was sitting with Yachiru watching a cartoon. It wasn't particularly interesting, but without Ikkaku he was bored, and he hoped that it would take his mind from his eyebrow, which had been itching irritatingly all day. With a small growl he reached up to scratch around the bar, but had to bite his lip as an excruciating pain shot though his forehead. Removing his hand he saw a sticky yellow liquid mixed with blood on his fingers and his violet eyes widened.

It was infected.

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**As always, hearing what you think would be wonderful. ^_^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! I'm so sorry this took so long to get out, but I had to deal with university applications and the like *shudders*. I'm on holiday now so... (touch wood) hopefully they shouldn't be too few and far between! ^_^ Thank you again for all your lovely reviews, they really help to work up my enthusiasm. ^_^**

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"One, Two, Three..." Ikkaku swung the stick methodically, his brow furrowed in concentration. He hadn't yet been allowed to have a proper Shinai so had to make do with a relatively straight branch he had found in the garden and had cut to size, but it was more than good enough for now. After his first lesson his legs had been covered in bruises from where the mad old man had taken offence to something he had done and hit him, but for the first time in a while he felt proud of something. He had been told that he had talent and that if he continued he could do well, and his good mood was only slightly dampened when he came home to find that Yumichika had shut himself in his room and wouldn't come out until dinner, when Kenpachi insisted the four of them spend time together.

Inside, Kenpachi watched the teenager through the window proudly. The boy had poured all of his effort for the past two days into practising for his next lesson and Kenpachi could see that he was improving. But he also had another reason to be pleased. Through their common interest he had found a way to talk to Ikkaku without forcing a conversation, and Ikkaku as a result had become more chatty, and willing to take part in conversations, his sullen demeanour diminishing.

Conversely though, Yumichika had become more reclusive recently, which the large man found baffling, as the narcissistic teenager loved attention and never missed an opportunity to draw it to himself. It seemed that just as he got a handle on how to deal with the unruly pair they turned everything on its head to make life difficult for him. Communicating with a sullen and monosyllabic Ikkaku was one thing, but how did one deal with a worryingly reclusive Yumichika?

Beside him Yachiru put down her pen with a satisfied click. "Finished!"

Pulling his attention from Ikkaku, Kenpachi looked down at the pieces of paper on the table, framed with pens of all colours. They were typical child drawings, all stick limbs and large heads to a brightly coloured background, but they were clearly identifiable. There was him, drawn with a tiny Yachiru perched on his shoulders and on a separate sheet there was Ikkaku, eyebrows creased in a frown and, rather amusingly, rays on sunshine emanating from his hairless head like rays from a sun. They were even coloured in yellow.

But what really caught his attention was the drawing of Yumichika. It was perfectly ordinary, and accurate in a child's terms, except for strange yellow and red blobs on one side of his face. Kenpachi picked up the picture, a frown creasing his brow. "What's this?" he asked, pointing to the face.

Yachiru took the paper and examined it. "Its Featherbrow."

Kenpachi sighed. "I know, but what's this on his face?"

"That's how his face looks now." The little girl looked confused. "I came into his room one day and he was sitting dabbing all yellow-red stuff off his forehead. He was angry when he saw me, he chased me away." She looked up at Kenpachi, her face creased with worry. "Is something wrong with him?"

Again Kenpachi looked at the drawing, an uncomfortable thought working its way through his mind. Recently the teenager had been wearing a plaster over his piercing, insisting that the flamboyant bar he wore had been replaced with a more practical one because he continually caught it on his fingers, and the plaster was because it bled when he changed it. Now that he thought about it, this change coincided with him shutting himself away more frequently. As he thought Ikkaku came in, his forehead shining, and grabbed a glass of water, gulping it down. Staring contemplatively into space for a few moments Kenpachi made a decision and stood, startling Ikkaku.

"You know what's up with Yumichika?" He asked the boy, who looked at him confused. The lack of answer confirmed his suspicions, for he knew that the pair shared almost everything, and it would have to be something pretty serious for Yumichika not to confide in Ikkaku. Striding up the stairs, Yachiru close on his heels he stood outside the closed door of Yumichika's room. Without a word he opened it and marched in, finding Yumichika lying on his bed reading a book.

When the duo entered Yumichika looked up, confused, but it was obvious even to Kenpachi that he was making an obvious effort not to frown. "What's going on?"

"Take the plaster off" Yumichika blanched slightly at the command.

"Why? I told you why it's on."

Kenpachi growled. "One day is understandable; you shouldn't need it any more though. Take it off." In two steps he was beside the bed, and the boy scrambled away from him as he reached out to grab a slender shoulder. Kenpachi was quicker though, and cornered the wriggling teenager, tearing the plaster off in one fluid stroke. The sight he met with confirmed his suspicions. The pierced eyebrow was swollen and weeping around the silver bar and Yumichika flinched and whimpered when the plaster was removed and brushed against the inflamed area.

Even Yachiru stilled at the sight of the large man's expression as he glared at the dejected teen. "You… idiot! Look at yourself, do you want blood poisoning?"

"I-" Yumichika wasn't allowed to continue as Kenpachi continued.

"Your vanity is going to get you killed one of these days you bloody fool!" He straightened, towering even taller over the teenager. "Well. We will have to go to the doctor, no time to make an appointment, if they can't fit you in we'll have to go to the hospital."

As Kenpachi spoke Yumichika went white, looking past the hulking silluette of the man to Ikkaku, his eyes pleading. Noticing the boy's expression Kenpachi made an attempt to soften his voice and backed away a little, not knowing what he had said, but realising that whatever it was it had possibly not helped the situation.

"Listen" he said. "I'm responsible for you, and if you can't take care of yourself then I have to deal with it. It's just a trip to the doctors; no one's going to cut you open." He winced slightly as Yumichika went paler.

"Come on Yumichika, stop being stupid." Surprised at the unexpected support from Ikkaku, who had advanced into the room and was standing beside him, Kenpachi remained silent, waiting to see how the bald teenager dealt with his friend. "If you don't go now, then it'll get worse, and then you'll have to stay in hospital." The boy gave Yumichika a meaningful look and appeared to have won him over, as he pulled himself up from the bed and rearranged his clothes fussily.

Kenpachi took control again. "You two'll have to come too, can't leave you at home" He told Yachiru and Ikkaku, bundling the children out. He successfully got even the now dubious looking Yumichika into the car, glad that he was still cooperating.

And so they ended up in the doctor's waiting room, Yumichika trapped between Kenpachi and the wall, the silence of the empty room only broken by the soft chatter of the receptionist and Yachiru, who was making Ikkaku read medical leaflets to her on every subject, from meningitis to pregnancy. Kenpachi glanced at the boy beside him; they had got in without a fuss, simply having presented him at the reception, and had been given an emergency slot, possibly because Yumichika looked so stricken. He still looked bad, tense and pale and a little distasteful, as if there was a foul smell in the air. Gently he nudged the boy. "What's wrong with you?"

Complete silence fell at his question, and he could feel both Yachiru and Ikkaku watching them carefully as he waited for an answer. Eventually, Yumichika looked up at him. "I hate these places, they're so…horrible. Hospitals, surgeries, people who are dying go there."

Confused, Kenpachi pointed out: "That's a hospice"

Yumichika pulled a face. "That's not what I mean…Its…I-I don't know." He trailed off into silence, evidently frustrated that he couldn't express himself, but Kenpachi felt that he could understand what the teenager was getting at. There was something terrifying about going into a hospital and seeing people at their most frail and vulnerable, dying even. To Yumichika, whose appearance meant everything it would be even worse, because there is always that fear that you would become like them yourself.

Knowing what needed to be done, but unsure how to achieve it, Kenpachi patted his shoulder awkwardly. "It's only an infection, once you see the doctor then we cam be outta here and you won't have to come back again."

Yumichika shot him a grateful look as Yachiru detached herself from Ikkaku and ambled over to him, a worryingly helpful expression on her small face. She held out a leaflet to him. "Here, if you read it will take your mind off it!"

Glancing at the paper, entitled 'Coping with Cancer', Kenpachi hurriedly pulled Yachiru away and onto his lap, removing it from her grasp and putting it back on the shelf where it could do no harm. A few seconds later Yumichika's name was fuzzily announced over a speaker and he stood, with an encouraging shove from Kenpachi, and went out, looking to all the world like he was going to his execution.

While he was gone Kenpachi turned to Ikkaku. "Thanks for helping."

Ikkaku shrugged. "He's dumb sometimes, needs to be sorted out." Ikkaku looked at him, that rare thoughtful expression on his face. "His mum spent a lot of time in hospital…before he went into care." The teenager frowned at him, looking a little furtive "Don't tell him I told you. And that goes for you too" he growled at Yachiru "Keep yer big mouth shut."

Yachiru laughed as Kenpachi glared at Ikkaku warningly. "Don't worry Cue Ball…mouth zipped!" After a few seconds of silence she turned to Kenpachi, looking worried. "If he gets better, then I'll have to redo my picture! He won't want one that's all wrong."

More than a little bemused Kenpachi patted her on the head, trying not to smile at Ikkaku's incredulous expression. "I'm sure he'll like it, but do another if you want."

She smiled and they waited in silence until Yumichika came back again, clutching a prescription and looking a little happier. Kenpachi looked it over and nodded, it was just a two week course of antibiotics, they could pick it up on the way home. "Better now?" He asked the boy.

Yumichika looked a little shamefaced and nodded, following them out. As they got into the car he tugged at Kenpachi's arm, drawing the large man's attention from Yachiru. "I'm sorry…" he muttered. "I should-"

"Forget it" Kenpachi cut him off. "Just do it right next time."

Inside the car Ikkaku watched the two with an odd expression, his permanent half scowl gone, that is, until Yachiru, having escaped her seat, crawled over to him. "Why you smiling, Cue Ball?"

Ikkaku's scowl returned in full. "Shut up! I'm not smiling, and stop calling me that!"

The little girl turned to the open door, her mouth open wide to call Kenpachi until Ikkaku grabbed her, covering her mouth. Kenpachi turned around at the squeals of delight and growls coming from the car, sighing as he moved to separate the warring children. Things were back to their normal, chaotic self…and he would have it no other way.

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**I'm not sure this is the best chapter ever...but I hope you liked it. As always I love to hear what you think and any advice you might have to offer! XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**Again, I'm terribly sorry about the long wait, I have no excuse except that I'm far too easily distracted. All the same, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Kenpachi kept his eyes fixed firmly on the road, especially on the mad Ford in front of him who was weaving this way and that, driving frustratingly slowly, despite their being on a motorway. He also tried to ignore the merry tunes blasting from the CD player, which he'd already had to turn own once due to complaints from the back of the car, where Yumichika and Ikkaku were seated, Yachiru having asserted the front of the car as her domain, putting them back in their place after having been forced into the back on a couple of frantic occasions.

The two teenagers where conferring quietly now, heads together, the increasingly rural views only receiving the occasional glance, whatever they were talking about being deemed far more important than the trees and fields outside. Idly, Kenpachi wondered if the pair had ever been outside the city and almost smiled as he tried to imagine them, especially Yumichika, in a field or on a farm. The two of them were definitely the urban type.

"What's that?"

Kenpachi slowed, looking to where Yumichika was pointing, Ikkaku peering past him to the field of golden yellow flowers. "Its rape." He told them, glancing first at the field and then in the mirror to watch their expressions. "Its used to make oil."

The road was running between two hills and from the window all that could be seen was yellow, carved into orderly squares by green hedges; even Yachiru was watching from her window, although slightly less interestedly, having seen it before. "How do they make it?"

The question came from Ikkaku, who had pulled his attention from the window and was leaning forward to hear the answer. Kenpachi thought for a moment, hoping that common sense would win over technical knowledge. It didn't. "I don't know" he admitted. "Look it up when we get home"

Obviously a little disappointed Ikkaku leaned back, watching as the dark haired boy beside him continued to look out of the window. An excited cry a few moments later from Yachiru broke the silence.

"Look! Look! I can see it!"

Ah yes. The reason they were cramped in the car on the last, and somehow unsurprisingly hottest day of the holidays. Kenpachi would have given most things to be lying on his bed right now, a book at hand, or possibly just sleeping, with a lovely cold drink instead of sweating in an old, hot car. He had been told that children had the persuasive powers necessary to move the earth and he hadn't really believed it. He had known that when Yachiru wanted something she would do everything in her power to get it, and certainly Ikkaku and Yumichika had their own methods of achieving their wants and needs, but until yesterday he had always believed that he had the power to resist them if he really wanted to.

He had been wrong.

A few days ago...

It was Ikkaku who noticed it first, and pointed it out to Yumichika from the window of the clothes shop they had been dragged to to buy school uniform. Kenpachi should have seen the warning signs then, the two teenagers whispering, a rare occurrence, usually they had no problems letting the world know what they were saying, but he dismissed it, too horrified with the number on the receipt he had just been handed. If he had to do school uniform for the three of them every year - which was likely considering the state he had found Ikkaku and Yumichika's uniforms to be in - then he would soon be bankrupt!

The next danger signal was the smile on Yumichika's face as he crouched down next to a bored looking Yachiru, balanced elegantly so as not to rumple his clothes. He pointed it out to her too, his eyes shining with a hidden motive as he whispered to her softly, occasionally glancing at the colourful poster pinned to the rails opposite the shop.

By then the damage was done. Yachiru, who probably wouldn't have noticed it on her own, had been alerted, and there was nothing Kenpachi could do to rectify the situation. He had to give it to the pair, they were sly. He could ignore them, dismiss them and if he really had to chase them away, but with Yachiru it wasn't so simple, and they knew it.

Not a word was said until they left the shop, bags shared between them, and Kenpachi hoped that nothing would be said at all, but he was disappointed. Yachiru tugged on his sleeve as they walked down the road. "Hey...hey... Can we go?"

"Go where?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide and innocent. "To the fun fair." She pointed to the advert, filled with colourful pictures of merry-go-rounds and other fair associated things before looking up at him hopefully. "Please?"

Noticing that Ikkaku was keeping his eyes firmly on the ground and Yumichika suddenly seemed to find the surrounding architecture fascinating, he scowled. "I'm not sure" he muttered "We'll see." It was an age old technique, used by parents everywhere, the fits-all-situations response intended to satisfy the child while not committing in the slightest. Unfortunately it didn't work on Yachiru.

"We should go. I want to see the merry-go-rounds and the teacup rides and go on the ghost train and have candy floss and hook ducks and..." She continued merrily, listing all the things she could do, and her friends who had been and told her about it, all the way down the street and back to the car, where she began to speculate about what he and everyone else would do, and when they should go, and how long it would take. It was almost unbearable but all he could do was glare at the instigators of his torture, who rather worryingly smiled innocently back at him, telling him in no uncertain terms that it was by no means over.

There were two very good reasons he didnt want to go to any fun fairs. Firstly co ordinating the three of them would be a nightmare he didnt feel he could cope with. They would each want to do different things and cooperation was still not quite part of Yumichika and Ikkaku's vocabulary, each still holding that 'looking out for number one' philosophy which was fine when there was only 'Number one' but really didnt work within a family. Secondly it was just...silly, which might not cut it with the children but was an excellent reason in his mind. They were only really amusing to young children, were expensive, chaotic and left you loaded with sticky children clutching equally sticky soft toys, or as was more likely, making you hold the aforementioned soft toys.

The concept was next broached over the dinner table, again by Yachiru, who was clearly not going to take no for an answer. "Can we go tomorrow?"

Surprisingly it was Ikkaku who objected this time, scowling as his fork hovered half way to his mouth. "Its Kendo practice tomorrow." From Yumichika's slightly stricken expression and the way Ikkaku winced a few seconds later Kenpachi could see that the objection was not part of their plan and he grasped on it like a castaway to a plank of wood.

"Yeah, we're all a little busy this week Yachiru. Schools starting soon, we need to be ready."

It was Yumichika who picked up on his error. "Isnt that a reason for us to go somewhere?" His eyes narrowed slightly in an expression which Kenpachi had come to, if not quite fear, at least view with caution. "Proper families take their children out on trips in the holidays."

Kenpachi growled slightly, he could see he was losing this argument. "I said no. We're all busy and I dont have time to cart you lot off on some trip." he eyed each of them, telling them clearly that the conversation was over and brooked no arguments.

Silence reigned around the table for the rest of the meal, the three of them evidently having decided not to push their luck, but it was only a brief respite. The demands continued the next day, each more elaborate than the next, ranging from Yachiru drawing pictures of happy children at a fair to Yumichika reminding him firmly of his and Ikkaku's achievements before softly suggesting that they celebrate, to Ikkaku's not quite so subtle outright questioning of why they couldnt go, possibly having decided that manipulating Yachiru wasnt going to work. Eventually Kenpachi began to wonder whether it was worth the effort and he should just agree, but he somehow knew that if he conceded defeat once, it would be grasped on like a leech and he would be sucked dry.

The turning point finally came along with another checkup by Unohana. When the idea had been suggested to her during a chat with the children she had thought it a 'wonderful idea'. Once they had her on their side there was very little he could do, and there was something about the way that she smiled when she said it that made him want to take them anyway, to please her. After all, if she thought that it would be good, then surely it couldn't be that bad, she was a professional and knew about these things.

So, after garnering some tips for child management in crowded places Kenpachi reluctantly announced that on the last day of the holidays they would go to the funfair, to much joy and even a victory dance on the part of Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika.

XXXX

Eventually Kenpachi located the small lane which served as an entrance to the fair and ground to a halt on the slightly yellow grass as the four of them piled out of the stifling car into the fresh air, the looks of excitement clear on the children's faces as they looked around at the colourful rides and the crowds milling about between stalls.

Kenpachi took a deep breath. "Well, here we are..."

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**Next chapter will be fun (or not) at the funfair! XD As always, I would love to hear what you thought, your opinions are wonderful to read.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, I'm going away for a couple of weeks on Saturday, so hopefully this should keep people happy until I come back, when hopefully I'll have another chapter or two for you. I hope you enjoy, and that its fairly accurate, its been years since I've been to a fair, and my suggestions that we go in the name of research were met with amused refusals each time. ^_^**

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It was rather sweet, the expressions on the three children's faces as they gazed at the milling crowds and whirring rides, still standing just inside the gates. To be fair, it was probably the first time any of them had been somewhere like this, especially a fair of this size, and even Kenpachi found himself impressed with the scene.

There were rides of every description dotted around the huge fields, large rides, small rides, those stomach-churning ones intended for teenagers and the usual small children's rides, filled with colourful animals. In between these were stalls hung heavy with soft toys and he could even spot the occasional goldfish, although he dreaded to think what would become of the poor creature if one ever found its way into Yachiru's hands. A faint sizzling sound reached his ears, along with the gentle smell of fried onions and burgers, which was almost drowned out by the excited cries of children, small and large, as they pulled their parents around, their high voices demanding to be heard above the general racket which came with such a large event.

Soon another voice was added to the racket as Yachiru recovered from her initial awe. "Lets go!" She slipped her hand into his and began to try to pull him into the crowd. Instead he scooped her up, fearful of loosing her in such an unfamiliar environment, and glanced at the two boys standing slightly behind him.

"Comin'?"

Quickly calculating he lead them first to one of the stalls surrounded with children and adults alike armed with hooks and trying to scoop up large rubber ducks, judging that it was sufficiently neutral to be interesting to both Yachiru, who would be attracted by the prospect of the large fluffy cats hanging above the pool, and Ikkaku and Yumichika, who would find the surprisingly difficult job of hooking a duck a suitable challenge. It was, he thought to himself, not unlike planning for a battle, there was just less blood involved.

So, after handing over some money to the smiling vendor he left the two boys with a pair of sticks and let Yachiru select the duck she wanted before trying to hook it. Much to her disappointment they were duds. Taking pity on her, they had another go, but didn't win anything that time either and Kenpachi was forced to break it to her that if she wanted to do anything else she couldn't have any more goes. By this time Ikkaku, possibly having grown bored with his companions dithering about which duck to hook, had wandered over to find Kenpachi, a small purple teddy tucked under one arm.

At the sight of the bear Yachiru's eyes widened, her and Kenpachi's failures forgotten, and she looked hopefully from the boy to the bear before sidling up to him. "Hey, Cue-Ball...That bear is nice..."

The boy grunted and glanced down at her compliment, but his expression immediately became suspicious when he saw her face. She hadn't quite mastered the art of subtlety. "What?" Realising her motives he held the bear a little closer. "I won it." He reminded her rather defensively, avoiding her hopeful gaze.

Kenpachi watched with interest as Ikkaku obviously struggled with himself, barely noticing as Yumichika came up beside him, his expression knowing. Eventually, as Ikkaku glanced from the bear to the small girl before him for perhaps the fifth time Kenpachi stepped in. "It's his prize Yachiru, ya cant take it from him" He told the girl gruffly.

However, something entirely unexpected happened after he had spoken, one which brought a proud smile to his face. As Yachiru's disappointed expression deepened, Ikkaku growled and thrust the bear at her, making her jump. "Take it." He muttered as she didn't react, avoiding his companion's eyes. "Didn't want it that much anyway...too girly."

His embarrassed scowl deepened as Yachiru squealed delightedly and took the teddy from him, cuddling it hard, and it only abated slightly when Yumichika moved to his side and said something to him softly. When Kenpachi had Yachiru firmly seated on his shoulders he patted Ikkaku on the shoulder, hoping that his expression spoke for him. From the confused mixture of pride and embarrassment on the teenagers face he judged that it had.

The next move, however, presented a problem. It was the inevitable moment when rides would have to be ridden, and he knew, just knew, that despite the recent generosity shown there would be no such truce when it came to this and his suspicions were confirmed by the frankly mutinous looks he received at Yachiru's excited suggestion that they go on the nearby teacup ride.

Eventually, after some bartering they agreed that they would take it in turns to decide what they were going to do, and Yachiru would go first. This unfortunately meant that Kenpachi had to spend a nauseating five minutes spinning around in a large, pink cup, occasionally catching sight of Ikkaku and Yumichika's amused smirks as he whizzed by.

Although Yachiru enjoyed herself, Kenpachi could barely contain his relief as he escaped the cups. He could cope with most things that would make normal people baulk; in his time he had tried out most of the extreme sports, rock climbing, martial arts, he had even bungee jumped, but he hated anything which meant he had to be spun around, even at the fairly sedate pace of the children's ride.

Hoping that Ikkaku's choice would be a little more suitable he followed the teenager through the crowd, it was slightly better. It was a small roller-coaster which ran on tracks all around the fair, with plenty of loops and spins to keep even a rabid theme park fan satiated. It was just fortunate that Yachiru was too small to go on it, meaning that Kenpachi got to stay and keep an eye on her while the two teenagers paid and enjoyed their ride.

What followed was a flurry of hot queues, sticky candy-floss, ghost trains which were hardly frightening (but made Kenpachi sneeze as the corpse swooping overhead dropped dust on him), and finally, lunch.

Having made sure that no one wanted to go on any more roller-coasters or anything which threw you around Kenpachi decided it was time for them to eat, and it seemed his judgement was right, as Yachiru was beginning to droop on his shoulders and Ikkaku was looking grumpier by the minute; a sure sign that hunger was setting in.

Everywhere seemed to be doing the same sort of thing, quick and easy burgers and hotdogs, so, seeing no point in being picky about what stall they chose, Kenpachi simply made for the closest one with some benches around it, choosing a reasonably clear one to sit at while they ate. For a while there was an appreciative silence as they dug into their spoils, although Kenpachi was surprised Yachiru could eat anything with the amount of sweets she had consumed, but eventually the silence was broken.

"You three enjoying yourself?" Kenpachi was surprised that it had been him who broke it. The three children nodded, some more enthusiastically than others (Ikkaku barely inclined his head) and while a part of Kenpachi said that they better enjoy it after all they put him through for the past two days, another, larger part was pleased that the three of them were having fun, somehow it seemed that so far their lives had been sadly lacking in it.

"Bo-Bo's enjoying himself too!" Yachiru thrust her bear, christened Bo-Bo despite choking snorts of horror from its original owner, at Kenpachi and wriggled it.

"Uh, Great..." Kenpachi patted the toy awkwardly on its fluffy head, not sure how to treat 'Bo-Bo'

Yumichika looked up from where he had been tugging at a handkerchief. "Its certainly very colourful."

Ikkaku nodded. "Yeah, 'snot bad."

High praise from the two of them, who a few weeks previously would have wilfully disparaged anything Kenpachi did for them. Kenpachi grinned, rather pleased he had decided to agree to the trip and motioned to the paper that was steadily being shredded under Yumichika's fingers. "You finished with that?"

Yumichika nodded gracefully and pushed it towards him as he gathered up their rubbish to throw away, rising to take it to a bin, leaving the three of them at the nearby table. As he pushed it through the hole, Kenpachi smiled again, he found that despite his reservations he was beginning to enjoy himself too; the rides weren't that bad, they were a bit of a laugh, and the atmosphere was rubbing off on him.

His good spirits didn't last long, as on his return he noticed an empty space where a mop of pink hair should have been. He looked up at the two boys, who were peering behind him. "Where's Yachiru?"

Yumichika looked at him quizzically. "She followed you to the bin..."

Kenpachi felt the blood draining from his face as he realised the enormity of the situation. Yachiru was missing in a huge, crowded fun fair. He didn't know what direction she had headed in, he didn't know where she might have gone; the six year old had just been swallowed up in the crowds surrounding them...

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**I always love to hear your opinions about what I've done, and it would be brillaint to come back and find my inbox filled with lots of lovely reviews! *hint hint* ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**I wish I could be terribly clever and say that I timed this so the next few chapters coincide with the beginning of the new school year, but I'm afraid I cant. Sorry about the wait and I hope you enjoy it!  
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A clear, cold clarity gripped Kenpachi, the sort that could only be bought about by panic. His mind assessed tirelessly and unbidden, going over the horrible possibilities of the situation. What if she had been abducted? You were certain to get those sort of people hanging around somewhere like there, a place filled with children and crowds. The other alternatives were no better....she could have found her way into the car park, a place fraught with danger for an inattentive child with no concept of road safely, or she could just be lost and alone somewhere. The last was a little better, in that she was in no immediate danger, but in this day and age you could never rely on a kind stranger and it twisted something inside of him to think of Yachiru alone and frightened in the huge crowds in the field.

Not to mention that if Social Services ever got wind of this he would quite definitely not be parent of the month. If only Ikkaku and Yumichika had used their brains...you never, _never_ let a six year old wander off after someone! Kenpachi turned to the two boys, his anger and frustration building as he looked at them standing uncertainly behind him and opened his mouth to give them a piece of his mind.

It died on his lips when he saw their expressions though. A mixture of frightened defiance and worry as they stood close together, almost huddled, just as they had done the first few times he had seen them in the Home, seeking comfort and protection from each other. It wasn't their fault, he couldn't expect them to know how to look after a sibling and he knew deep down that he just wanted to vent his anger.

"Come on..." He sighed, "s'not your fault. Lets get looking, she cant have got that far."

The two seemed surprised by his mellow attitude to their failure. Not for the first time Kenpachi found himself wondering about what he or anyone else had done to create that sort of response. _They expected me to lash out at them._

"Where?" It was Ikkaku who asked, still slightly in front of Yumichika, playing the defender.

Kenpachi thought about the question. "We'll start with the places she's likely to want to go." He shook his head when Ikkaku opened his mouth, knowing what he was going to say. "No splitting up, one lost child is enough, thank you."

Ikkaku deflated slightly and nodded, following behind Kenpachi as the large man strode though the crowd, parting them with a mixture of purposeful speed and his large frame. They looked around the food stalls, making a point to go to the ones selling candy-floss first, having seen the girl's expression as they passed them. Stall holders regarded them with worry and pity as they enquired after Yachiru, but every time she had not been seen.

Once they had exhausted the food stalls they tried some of the rides, returning to ones they had already been on to see if she was waiting for them in a familiar place, Yumichika and Ikkaku keeping a sharp eye out for her amongst the crowd, while Kenpachi, head and shoulders above most people, scanned the seething mass of heads. He found there was something rather insulting about how life seemed to go on regardless of their panic, ignoring their plight. There should at least have been something to show for it.

He scanned the crowd by the Ghost Train once more, beginning to consider calling the Police and moving to gather up the two boys who were roaming farther than he liked in their searches, when a call got his attention.

"Hey! Mister!" It was a tall, flamboyantly dressed man headed in his direction who had called, and he looked relieved to have caught Kenpachi's attention. "Is this your child?" He motioned to a bespectacled woman following behind him who was holding the hand of...Yachiru?

Kenpachi stared for a moment, unable to believe it. He had found Yachiru! Or more accurately this man had found Yachiru, but either way it didn't matter, he still had Yachiru. When she saw him her face lit up and she detached herself from the woman, running to him. "We found you!" She grabbed his arm and held on tightly, belying her fear.

Kenpachi scooped her up as Ikkaku and Yumichika came closer. "S'ok. I'm here."

The man, who was still watching smiled slowly at their interactions. "Isn't that sweet, Eh, Nanao?" Nanao lowered her head slightly, a small smile touching her lips.

Realising with a small amount of embarrassment that he had forgotten all about Yachiru's saviour Kenpachi turned to the man. "Uh...Thank you, thank you so much."

"It was no problem, we found her by the car park as we came in. She's a lovely little girl." The man smiled benignly at Yachiru until Nanao nudged him. "Oh, forgive me. My name's Shunsui, and this is Nanao, my wife. Pleased to meet you." Shunsui held out his hand.

Gratefully, Kenpachi accepted it. "Kenpachi. Thank you again..."

"Don't mention it. My pleasure." Kenpachi was waved off with a good natured smile. "This place is great isn't it? Just like the ones when I was a kid!"

Slightly taken aback by his new-found companions enthusiasm Kenpachi nodded slowly, managing. "The kids are enjoying it."

Still looking around Shunsui nodded. Eventually he expelled a large sigh, turning to them again. "Well, don't let me keep you, we should be off if we want to see everything, eh Nanao?"

Nanao nodded slightly, adjusting her glasses. "We should." She turned to Kenpachi. "Pleasure to meet you." And then the pair were off; Nanao leading with her husband ambling along beside her.

For a few moments Kenpachi watched them as they disappeared into the crowd before turning back to Yachiru, who was being grudgingly greeted by Ikkaku and Yumichika. Losing the little girl had been a horrible experience, and probably not just for him. It had been a fear that squeezed his heart until he thought he couldn't breathe and all he wanted to do now was hold her close and take her home where she couldn't be lost again. He knew that he couldn't just dote on her though, she had to be warned that she couldn't just walk off.

Ikkaku beat him to it though. "Waddaya think you were doing?" He demanded, scowling. "You scared everyone!"

Pleased (and a little surprised) at the boy's use of the word 'everyone', but aware of the tearful expression on Yachiru's face Kenpachi crouched down beside her. "You mustn't run off like that! If you want to go somewhere you should get someone to come with you. Understand?"

Yachiru looked up at him with large, heart-melting eyes. "Yes." It was a small whisper, but it was there. Kenpachi pulled her in close for another hug, hearing the tiniest of "sorry"s as he did so. It seemed they had both been scared, but it was over now, and no doubt she had learned her lesson. The rest of the day was to be enjoyed.

The rest of the day was spent touring the rest of the fair, sampling the various sticky, sickly-sweet bits and pieces that were on offer and going on the rides that had been forgotten. Yachiru seemed unaffected by the previous trauma, running back and forth with wild abandon, but oddly, Ikkaku was more withdrawn, unwilling to participate unless coaxed by Yumichika and frowning whenever he looked at Yachiru.

Soon, almost too soon, it began to get late, and the crowds began to thin as people had their fill of the festivities and left. Yachiru was drooping on Kenpachi's shoulders and even Yumichika was beginning to flag, his hair slightly rumpled from the rides. Deciding that it was perhaps time that they left, Kenpachi bundled the three of them into the car, smiling slightly as Yachiru fell asleep almost immediately, and rumbled out of the gravelly car park.

It had, all in all, been a success he felt. He just hoped he didn't have to do anything similar any time soon. Neither his wallet nor his heart would be able to cope.

**XXXX**

All the lights were out when a silent figure slipped from their room, creeping down the hall, feeling their way carefully so as not to collide with anything in the darkness. After an age, they reached a door and turned the knob, easing the door open and slipping inside.

Ikkaku fumbled for the bedside light in the unfamiliar room, cursing silently when he tripped over what felt like a chair. Eventually he found it and turned it on, its weak light illuminating the room and the sleeping boy on the bed, growing by the minute. Gently, he shook Yumichika, who just grumbled and turned over, pulling the covers closer.

"Yumichika!" Ikkaku didn't dare raise his voice above a hiss as he shook his companion again, only getting batted away for his troubles. Grumbling about heavy sleepers Ikkaku lifted the lamp and held it close to Yumichika's face, pulling open an eye to shine it into.

That seemed to work and eventually he was able to rouse his friend, after many complaints and hurried shhing sounds, and had him upright in the still dim light. "What is it?" Yumichika demanded, obviously still irritated about his rude awakening.

"Do you think he would do that for us?" The question was blurted out of the blue and surprised even the asker, even though he had been thinking about it all night.

"Do what?" Yumichika shifted uncomfortably under Ikkaku's stare.

Ikkaku scowled. "Run around like that. Spend ages searching for us if we got lost. Be that happy if he found us."

"I don't know! I guess so...all parents get scared when their children go missing."

Ikkaku fixed his gaze once again on his companion. "Really? Ours didn't. How do you know he won't get bored with us?"

Yumichika looked uncertain. "He adopted us..." He trailed off, gripping the bed-covers.

Looking a little apologetic, Ikkaku patted him on the shoulder. "I'm just sayin'...don't get too attached, we might be packing in the future." When Yumichika remained silent he continued. "Whatever happens, we'll still have each other. Just...don't get so that leaving will hurt."

"Uh-huh. You're right." Yumichika chewed his thumbnail. "Its just...why would he do all this stuff for us if he didn't care?"

"They all start out meaning well. They want to 'fix us', but eventually it gets too much. He's a nice guy, but that doesn't make a difference."

Yumichika nodded slowly. "Stay?" he asked, vulnerable for a second. But as quickly as it came it was gone. "You might as well for a while now since you went to all the bother of waking me up."

Ikkaku hesitated for a moment, but relented, swinging his legs up onto the bed and shuffling into the space Yumichika made for him, resting beside him on the headboard.

Later that night Kenpachi awoke and on his way to the kitchen saw the light. When he investigated he found the two boys asleep beside each other, Ikkaku's head resting on Yumichika's shoulder. It was a touching sight, and Kenpachi had the feeling that it wouldn't be appreciated if he woke them, no matter how uncomfortable the position looked. Only pausing to switch off the still burning light Kenpachi left, closing the door softly behind him.

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**Off to school for the kids next time! As always I love to hear any thoughts on what I've written. It really enthuses me! ^_^  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so terribly sorry about how long I've left this, but what with starting A2 and more university applications I've been really busy! I feel so guilty (although presumably not guilty enough to have done this before now :P) **

**I hope you find This suitably enjoyable. ^_^  
**

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It was, Kenpachi had decided fairly early on, going to be a long, difficult morning. Getting the children up had not really been a problem; Yachiru, like all small children, was an early riser and was up almost before him, sitting contentedly in front of some children's program while he prepared her breakfast. Ikkaku and Yumichika, probably be virtue of the uncomfortable position they had been resting in, were also up early, although were decidedly less contented about the matter.

However, the morning was actually moving at a worrying pace, with uniforms to be handed out, and breakfasts to be made, and now they were beginning to encounter problems. Yachiru was still searching for Bo-Bo, who she had decided she was going to take with her, but who had disappeared overnight, Ikkaku was doing everything in his power to resist Kenpachi's chivvying along, and Yumichika was unfortunately emulating him, making the problem twice as great.

Oh, and they had to leave in fifteen minutes, and he still hadn't told the boys he would be taking them _into_ school instead of simply dropping them off. He had heard far too many accounts of times when they had gone missing at the school gates, and he had no intention of allowing truancy while they were in his care.

"You're doing what!?"

"Dropping you into school." Kenpachi repeated, rooting down the side of Yachiru's bed until his hand encountered something soft. With a deft flick, he pulled the soft toy up and into the light. It was the wrong one.

"But...you...Do you have any idea how that would look?" Yumichika hissed. "No, of course you don't..."

Kenpachi growled, his hand down the side of the bed once again. "I'm not asking, this isn't a democracy." He had mentioned it to Yumichika first in the hope that he would be more reasonable about it than Ikkaku, and perhaps even help, but it looked like it was a lost hope. Once again he pulled, a soft plop sound accompanying the arrival of a slightly dusty Bo-Bo. Finally.

Ten minutes to go.

"Bag, Ikkaku. Where's your bag?"

"How should I know?" The onset of school had returned Ikkaku to sullen silence and it was beginning to be irritating.

"_Go find it!"_

"Umm..." Kenpachi turned to find Yachiru behind him. She had a huge blob of toothpaste on her skirt. Hurriedly he lead her to the kitchen, swearing softly under his breath. As he tried his best to wipe all traces of it from her, he found himself wondering how she had managed to get it onto her _skirt_ of all places.

Five minutes to go.

They were almost ready. Yachiru was clean, had her rucksack on her shoulders with Bo-Bo securely zipped into it; Ikkaku had, under duress, produced and packed his school back, and Kenpachi could see Yumichika's sitting in the hall. There was just one thing missing. "Where's Yumichika?"

Ikkaku shrugged unconcernedly, examining his nails, while Yachiru looked around. "I saw him in the bathroom..." She admitted eventually.

Kenpachi groaned. If the boy was in the bathroom preening then he definitely wouldn't be coming out any time soon. Deciding there was only one way he would be able to get them all out on time he made his way to the bathroom; Yumichika was in front of the mirror adjusting his tie. Quickly, he moved forward and grabbed the teenager by the collar, pulling him out of the room while he was still too shocked to resist properly. It wasn't that he couldn't have just lifted the boy and carried him, he was sufficiently slender, but it would have put a serious and unnecessary dent in the boy's pride, plus he was a terrible wriggler.

"You could have asked!" When Kenpachi finally let go Yumichika scowled and rearranged his clothes, bristling like an angry cat.

Kenpachi kept his reply (which would have been something along the lines of: _'Not if we wanted to get anywhere within the next half hour'_) to himself, instead he settled for "Come on."

Once they were all outside he decided that it would probably be better to drive. It wasn't that the schools were terribly far away, but walking was subject to many diversions and other time consuming problems, and he had to make sure Yachiru got into school safely, which left less time to get the other two to school.

A few minutes later he was thoroughly regretting his decision. Presumably every other parent had decided to drive their little ones to school, and the road was practically gridlocked. Glancing in the rear mirror he saw Yumichika rubbing his eyebrow absently. "How's your face?"

Surprised, Yumichika looked about himself for a moment, before apparently concluding that he was the one being addressed. "Its fine..."

They edged forward slightly. "Hows the school gonna react to a piercing?"

Yumichika looked defiant. "There's nothing they can do about it now its in."

"Hmm." Finally they pulled up outside the small primary school. Happily, Yachiru gave Kenpachi a small peck on the cheek and hopped out, heading straight for her open classroom door. Kenpachi watched as she went in, only pulling out when he was certain she wasn't going to wander back out.

As they neared the boys' school Kenpachi motioned towards Ikkaku's foot well. "There's a first aid kit in there. Use one of the plasters to cover your stud." Fortunately Yumichika was wearing a rather understated silver bar, rather than his usual extravagant feather decoration, which Kenpachi could swear wasn't good for his eye. "If you do that, they cant make you take it out."

"O-okay." there was some scrabbling and hushed profanities as Ikkaku contorted himself to retrieve the box, and Kenpachi could hear the distinctive sound of plasters being applied and removed again as he pulled outside the high black rails of their school.

Abruptly, Kenpachi twisted around to face the two teenagers. "Listen." he said softly, trying to keep any gruffness from his tone. "This might not mean much coming from me, but school's important. Yer both smart, so I don't want to hear that your not in school after I've dropped you off, all right?" To their credit, they both looked uncomfortable, although Kenpachi didn't receive a response. "Well," He sighed, "Off you go then. Don't...get any parts of you confiscated, or into any fights or anything..."

After a mumbled, even embarrassed goodbye from Yumichika, and a discreet nod from Ikkaku they left, and out of respect for their dignity Kenpachi stayed in the car, simply winding his window down as he watched them.

As they reached the gate they were encountered by two friends who greeted them enthusiastically, although he noticed that Yumichika hung back slightly and unlike Ikkaku didn't engage in the conversation particularly. If he strained he could catch bits and pieces of their chatter; One of the friends, sporting a surprisingly large ponytail of red hair, spoke first. "You came in a car?"

"Yeah, another new carer. He's alright." Something in Ikkaku's tone stung slightly. It was dismissive, almost as if he expected this to be just one of long, long line of people who would take them in over the years. Somehow Kenpachi had hoped that he had earned more of the boys trust than that.

Opening the door and slipping inside once he had made his way home, the house seemed awfully quiet and lonely. He hadn't realised how much background noise three children made, even when they were busy in their respective tasks. Exhaling slowly and feeling slightly lost, Kenpachi resigned himself to a long, aimless six hours.

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**Hmm...I'm running out of inventive ways to ask this, perhaps being straightforward is best for now. Please, please review! I really love reading what you think, and its great motivation to know that you all like it (or if you don't, why you don't). XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, when they said my workload would double in the upper sixth they really mean it! Mu apologies about the very long delay between chapters, but I've only just about settled down into the new year, and I struggled with this chapter a lot, and I mean a lot! So I'm sorry in advance for any OOC-ness. ^_^**

**That said...I hope you enjoy this, and you have my solemn word that the next chapter will come quicker! XD  
**

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Although he half expected to get an angry phone call from the school informing him of some terrible prank pulled, or even that they had managed to escape, it was an uneventful morning for Kenpachi. He tidied, remembering the mess he had discovered down the side of Yachiru's bed, enjoyed a quiet and long awaited breakfast and after putting it off for as long as possible resigned himself to the task he least enjoyed: shopping. On his own it was a dull chore and with the children it was an expensive, tiring chore (although certainly not dull). There was just no way he could win.

It took him a few minutes to search through the rapidly increasing pile of coats and jackets in the hall before he found his much beloved jacket, but finally he was ready to go out. Habit dictated he wandered to the phone to connect the answer machine, until he remembered that it had been eviscerated by Yachiru, and then he was out of the door, noting the worrying noise the doorbell made as the door shut.

He never bothered with lists or anything like that, if he really needed it, he would remember it, and if he didn't then he cant have needed it that badly. Yumichika seemed to like lists, to he always humoured the boy when they had shopped as a family, but now he had the freedom to wander the isles, avoiding the few fellow shoppers out in the early afternoon, and picking and choosing the contents of his trolley.

He had just reached the frozen food isle and was contemplating the expensive Ketchup display (who in their right mind puts sauces with frozen food?) when he felt a light touch on his arm. Training in fighting, despite years of disuse, kicked in and without thinking he span and grabbed the hand on his arm, dropping it again quickly when he saw the rather alarmed face of Unohana before him.

"Uh...sorry. You surprised me."

Unohana smiled. "Its quite alright. I should have said something first." She looked at his trolley, piled precariously with whatever had taken his fancy as he walked. "I see you're using your child free time to effect. Do you mind if I go round with you? I only have a few items."

Surprised and a little unsure how to react, Kenpachi nodded. "Sure. Don't see why not." Grabbing the first bottle that he saw he dropped it on top of the pile and moved on, Unohana beside him. "You got a day off or something then?"

She nodded. "Not long, but appreciated nonetheless. Especially as I seem to have developed a bit of a cold. With luck it should be gone soon. Before our next official visit anyway." She smiled again, her eyes crinkling in what struck Kenpachi as a rather attractive way.

Then her words sunk in. "Next visit?" Thoughts of tidying, fixing the doorbell and phone, amongst other things began to run through his head.

"Oh, its not for another week or so." She chuckled, his expression presumably having become slightly panicked. "Plenty of time to tidy up. I know messy things can get at the start of school." She paused, thoughtfully scanning rows of soups before delicately selecting tomato. "I would have called tomorrow to check if the dates alright if I hadn't seen you today."

"Oh." Kenpachi had nothing to say to that, so he busied himself with the shopping, wishing that he had made a list, if only to look like he was doing something. He could deal with Unohana in the professional sense, but this was leaving him floundering, just like the conversation appeared to be.

Unohana saved him by bringing up one of the topics they had in common. "How was the school run today?"

He grinned slightly. "There wasn't too much trouble. Less than I expected; I was a little disappointed, I expected to have to drag them through the school doors."

That drew one of her soft, gentle laughs. "You would be the first who actually dared. From the stories I heard they were all afraid of Ikkaku, and Yumichika was a terrible wriggler."

Kenpachi snorted derisively. "You just have to keep a tight grip."

More soft laughter. "I sense you speak from experience." She didn't seem put out that he had almost admitted to using physical force against the children. In fact it was this practicality and gentle understanding, along with what Kenpachi saw as a rare devotion to her work that meant he had grown to like her in the time she had been visiting him.

Kenpachi grunted non-committally. They had strayed into the confectionery isle, and he knew that all hell would break loose of Yachiru discovered he had been shopping and had got her nothing. He started when a multi-pack of Mars Bars was held up in front of him.

"He would never let it on, but Ikkaku is rather fond of these." Unohana told him.

"Heh." Kenpachi stored the useful titbit away for later reference, accepting the packet. "Thanks." As they passed he took a similar back of Buttons, which would probably appease Yachiru. The rest of the trip passes quickly, they chose drinks and then queued to pay, still talking, and to Kenpachi's surprise, the conversation flowing easier than it had before.

They paused when they got outside the shop, the air fresh with a gentle breeze, taking the edge off the heat. "Well," Unohana murmured. "I suppose this is where we part ways."

Kenpachi was taken aback. "You're walking?" He looked at the bags she was carrying. They contained milk and other bottles and he could see them digging into her hands.

"Yes. I don't live far from here."

It came out before he could think. It just seemed the natural thing to do in the circumstances, even if he wouldn't normally have extended such an offer. "Would you like a lift? It wouldn't take long."

Slowly she put her head to one side, obviously thinking. "That would be lovely. It would be nice to not have to carry this lot. Are you sure its no trouble?"

Kenpachi nodded firmly, striding towards his little hatchback purposefully before he could change his mind. They piled in, Unohana in the passenger seat, her shopping on the back seats so it didn't become mixed up in his. They passed the journey in silence only broken by soft directions from Unohana, and now he was in the quiet (relative anyway) of the car he could her the slight nasal inflection to her voice indicating a blocked nose.

Unohana had been accurate when she said it wasn't far, and they were outside the generous terrace within five minutes. He helped her get her bags out and then found himself standing awkwardly by the car as she gathered herself up. "Thank you for this. You didn't need to." She said.

Kenpachi grunted softly. "It weren't any bother."

"Well, I wont keep you any longer. Its almost three." She gave gave him an awkward wave, her hands restricted but the bags, and turned towards the house, letting herself in. "Oh. I just remembered. The Thursday after next, about four O'clock, is that alright for a visit?"

"Uh..." The question threw him, he had no idea what he was doing in two weeks time. "Yeah, yeah its fine." It would have to be now.

He just had time to get home and put the food away before he had to be out to pick up Yachiru and the boys. Until he was certain they weren't about to wander off he wasn't going to let them wander to and from school, especially in the mornings.

Yachiru's reaction to his return was a welcome surprise, and a nice cushion to the reaction he got from Ikkaku and Yumichika, who looked horrified that he had actually turned up, in a car, to pick them up. The horror.

With some relief he noted that they were both unscathed as they slipped into the car to a raucous welcome from Yachiru, although Ikkaku's thunderous expression warned of difficulties to come.

"So. How was your day?" He glanced behind him briefly,

Ikkaku opened his mouth to speak but Yumichika spoke over him. "It was fine. Just the first day so nothing much happened." Kenpachi didn't fail to notice the glares exchanged between the two boys, but any further question he had were driven out of his mind when Yachiru began her account of her day, which didn't stop until they got back home.

The treats, which had been left out on the table were well received; even Ikkaku's expression softened at the sight of so many miniature Mars Bars and Yachiru had to be stopped from eating them all at once.

As Kenpachi watched the two of them tuck into the chocolate, the fuzzy warm feeling of victory washing over him, he noticed a pair of violet eyes on him. Yumichika was still standing in the middle of the kitchen, watching him thoughtfully. "How did you know about the Mars Bars?"

Kenpachi grinned and scooped up a packet of buttons from the pile on the table, offering it to the slight boy, who took it cautiously. "What you don't know can't hurt you."

The highly suspicious expression on Yumichika's face as the ambiguous statement began to work its magic in his mind was well worth it.

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**This is becoming something of a mantra "please-review-they-are-much-appreciaaaaateeed..." Like something medieval monks chanted! ^_^ But nonethless I must ask it of you, its very encouraging to know that people think.**


	10. Chapter 10

**This and the next were originally one, but I split them because I thought it might be a little long. Hope you enjoy. XD**

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It sounded like a war indoors. He had only stepped outside for a few minutes and when he came back in it sounded to all the world like they were killing each other. There were shrieks and profanities and what sounded suspiciously like angry shouts muffled by something inserted in the shouter's mouth.

Following the sounds he discovered his thoughts had not been too far off the truth. From what he could make out from the wriggling ball, Yachiru had sunk her teeth into Ikkaku's arm, hence the muffled shrieks and the rather colourful expletives, and Yumichika was trying gallantly to pull the squirming girl from his companion, with little success. If it had been some other group of children, it would have been rather funny, as it was he could see it was far beyond ending in tears.

Things really came to a rather dramatic head when Yachiru kicked back violently, catching Yumichika on the side of the face, his head jerking back so violently Kenpachi feared he had been seriously hurt. Squaring his shoulders he waded in, catching the still chewing girl round the waist. "Enough!"

The shout caused instant silence, ringing itself into oblivion as the three children (Yumichika included, who seemed to have avoided serious harm) watched him carefully. Yachiru let go of Ikkaku's arm, and Ikkaku let go of the girl's hair, allowing Kenpachi to set her down on the floor, a safe distance from the teenagers.

He took a deep breath. "Now. Do tell. what the Bl-" He quickly corrected himself. "What on earth caused this?"

It was Yachiru who answered, pointing accusingly at the two boys. "It was them. I was watching something and they just came in and took it away!" She looked like she was going to burst into tears. "They changed the channel even though I was watching something!"

Ikkaku started up angrily, still clutching his arm, which appeared to be bleeding. "She...she bit me!" He looked up to Kenpachi, appealing to the higher power. "I only changed the channel and she just jumped on me!"

Kenpachi groaned. This was going to be a long hard slog, but first he turned to Yumichika. "You OK?"

The boy touched his cheek gingerly "yeah..."

"you can move your neck? No headache? pins and needles? Back pain?" As he rattled the list off Yumichika began to look more and more alarmed, but every one was a negative. Despite the colourful bruise blossoming on his cheek, and a likely black eye, there was no serious damage. Kenpachi turned to Yachiru. "This is why you cant kick people in the head! If you kicked him too hard he could be hurt a lot worse. And you definitely don't bite! Only animals bite. Are you an animal?" He didn't really have to try too hard to sound angry, he had thought they might be past this stage now.

"No..." To her credit she looked genuinely upset. "Did I hurt him bad?" She glanced from Kenpachi to the now slightly white-faced Yumichika, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Not this time, no." Yachiru whispered an apology and looked so dejected he almost gave up and hugged her, but she had to learn. Viciousness had been one of the main problems he had had to face with her. "Don't say that to me. I'm not the one you kicked."

Slowly she got up and knee-crawled to Yumichika, before throwing herself on him. "I'm sorry!" she wailed again, engulfing the surprised teenager.

Next Kenpachi turned to Ikkaku, who was beginning to look a little smug. "Wipe that expression off your face. You're not blameless."

Ikkaku's face instantly became sullen and guarded. "I didn't do anything! She bit me." He thrust out his arm.

"Yeah, and when she's apologised to Yumichika, she's gonna apologise to you. But you shouldn'a just taken the remote from her. You knew it'd upset her."

Ikkaku wasn't giving up his argument. "She still bit me..." He flinched slightly when Kenpachi crouched down beside him, but the large man only inspected his arm, retrieving some kitchen towel to mop the oozing bite marks. Eventually Yachiru also came over, and after a further serious lecture from Kenpachi about the reasons you don't bite people she sniffled an apology and kissed his gingerly held out arm better.

Two hours, a cold compress, numerous plasters and many reconciliatory hugs later Kenpachi stood in the kitchen, carefully reading the cooking instructions for a packet of Chicken nuggets. A wary silence had descended on the house, with Yumichika and Ikkaku retreating to their rooms, no doubt to nurse their wounds and Yachiru at the kitchen table, dutifully reading through the books her school had given her. It was amazing how she even made reading seem like an act of apology, glancing up every few minutes sorrowfully. She really was a mistress of manipulation.

A small cough caught Kenpachi's attention and he looked up to see Ikkaku standing in the doorway. The boy looked away from his gaze. "I already said sorry."

Kenpachi returned to the nuggets, placing them on a tray ready for the oven. "I know."

"You can't stay mad."

"I'm not" Kenpachi replied levelly. "The issue's over, everyone's made up."

Although he tried to hide it Kenpachi could see Ikkaku was relieved. "Good." He sat down, studiously ignoring Yachiru. "What's for lunch?"

Kenpachi waved at the nuggets vaguely, "Nuggets, bread, some tomato, unless you want different, it hasn't gone in yet." Although he really wasn't still angry with the boy he tried to sound as amicable as possible. It was rather nice to discover that he was worried about still being in trouble, but he didn't want to encourage the fear.

"No. Its fine." Ikkaku trailed off, looking down at the table, unused to conversation. Eventually he looked up. "Can I take me and Yumichika's upstairs?" He hazarded.

Kenpachi looked at his severely. "Why?"

Ikkaku spoke a little too hurriedly. "No reason. We were just doing....homework. Getting really into it..."

All this produced was an amused snort. "If you want to lie to me you'll need to get better at it first." Kenpachi grinned at the boy's expression. "There's no way I can imagine either of you two getting that into any homework. Now, tell me the real reason. You know we eat meals together. I don't have many rules besides that." Knowing how stubborn the boy was he added a few seconds later, "And don't think about trying to lie again, or I really will get angry."

While Ikkaku contemplated whether to answer Kenpachi slipped the tray into the oven. As he straightened Yachiru looked up from her book mournfully. "Baldy's still mad with me. He doesn't want to eat with me."

"What?!" Ikkaku stared at her, momentarily flabbergasted as she stared at him accusingly. "No! I- You-" he spluttered. "'S over and done with. Your just a kid anyway." He muttered finally.

For the first time since the fight Yachiru's mournful expression was gone, replaced by outrage. "Kid? I'm not a kid!"

Ikkaku scowled at her. "Yes you bloody well are!"

Kenpachi cleared his throat loudly, silencing the two children. "Watch your language." He warned Ikkaku, "I'll not have foul mouths in this house. And Yachiru, you are a kid, so quiet." He added.

As Kenpachi turned Yachiru glowered at Ikkaku. "Prove it." She muttered at him.

Ikkaku returned her glare twofold. "What?"

"Prove its over."

The boy snorted at her, rising and opening the cupboard, his eyes scanning the shelves until he located the single, black wrapped packet. The last sweet from the shopping trip. "Fine. How do I prove it?"

The girl eyed the sweet in his hands, her eyes lighting up. "That." She pointed at it. "Gimme the sweet and you're forgiven!"

"Eeh?" Ikkaku instinctively held the sweet closer, as if the girl might leap from the chair and steal it away. "You don't care if you're forgiven! You just want the sweet!" He looked up into the raised eyebrows of Kenpachi, who had turned to watch the proceedings with mild interest. His jaw jutted out defiantly for a moment before he deflated and wearily handed the bar of chocolate over, muttering incoherently about children and their ills.

Feeling Kenpachi's watchful eye on her Yachiru took it politely and unwrapped it slowly. "Thank you. I forgive you."

"When did this turn into me needing to be forgiven?!" the teenager looked outraged

Unable to contain himself Kenpachi snickered as Ikkaku made to leave, still muttering to himself, but a few seconds later he called the boy back. "You gonna tell me why you don't want to eat with the rest of us?"

Ikkaku stood still for a long while, an obvious internal debate going on while Kenpachi waited patiently. Eventually he looked up. "Its not me. Yumichika's locked up in his room having a fit."

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**I had been thinking of doing a Christmas chapter before realising that I was so far behind in 'Zaraki-world' that I would be skipping most of the term to get them to the right time! But, if anyone would like me to do a little christmas story I can post it up seperately, so just say the word. ^_^**

**As always, reviews are a great spur and very much appreciated.  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**Until it was pointed out to me a while ago ****I hadn't actually realised just how many reviews this story has and I was really, truly surprised that it was over 100 already. I honestly hadn't expected it to be so popular, so a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story, especially those anonymous reviewers who I cannot thank individually!**

**Also, for those who might not know, the Christmas story, titled 'Christmas Spirit' is up. XD  
**

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Having finally gathered from Ikkaku that no, Yumichika wasn't literally having a fit, he was just upset, (its a figure of speech, sheesh...), Kenpachi stood outside the teenager in question's door, contemplating the best way to proceed. He had been often told that one of the parenting skills he was lacking in was sensitivity, and while he didn't often go for fuzzy negotiation where other, more memorable tactics would work just as well, he could recognise that this was one of the situations where it was inescapable. In fact, dealing with Yumichika in general seemed to require a great deal of sensitivity, denting the boys ego even slightly could be disastrous.

Gently he slipped the door open, not quite sure what to expect but imagining something along the lines of the boy huddled in his bed, or (perhaps more likely considering his volatile temper) throwing things around the room. What he didn't expect to see was Yumichika sitting serenely on the bed, earphones lodged firmly in and music blaring from them at what was probably an unhealthy volume. Somewhat flummoxed and wondering if this had been some bad joke on Ikkaku's part, or even just a ploy to get him away while he throttled Yachiru, Kenpachi hovered in the doorway until Yumichika noticed him.

"Umm..." Yumichika pulled out the plugs sheepishly. "Did you call or something?"

Kenpachi shook his head, regaining some of his certainty. "No. Just checking you're OK."

The teenager smiled brightly. "Fine. What would be wrong?" Kenpachi noticed that the bruise around his eye had darkened into a painful looking and very noticeable shade of purplish-black.

"I dunno. Ikkaku said you were upset."

Yumichika laid the MP3 player down carefully. "I don't know why he would say that." The boy's jaw clenched momentarily before he continued. "There's nothing wrong in the slightest. After all its only Monday tomorrow and I have to go to school and I have this _ugly_ bruise around my eye and I look like an idiot and I'll be the laughing stock of the whole school..."

"Whoa!" Kenpachi help his hands up hurriedly, halting the teenagers tirade. "Is that all?"

The moment he said it he realised it had been a mistake and Yumichika stiffened as if he had been struck. "Is that all?!" He took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. "Yes. I suppose that's all." He inserted the earphones again, starting the music.

Kenpachi stared for a moment. "What are you doing?"

Yumichika looked up coolly. "Listening to music."

Narrowing his eyes he leaned over the boy and yanked the wires, pulling the plugs from his ears. "Now you listen to me." He growled, watching with some satisfaction as the teenager started backwards. "Don't you dare dismiss me like that again. I come in here because I think something's wrong and I try to help, and then you get all uppity and ignore me. Now that might work with other adults and your buddies at school, but I'm not them, and while you are under this roof, you _will _show me respect." He straightened up. "And in return I'll respect you and your views."

Yumichika stared at him for a few moments, blinking in surprise, before nodding slowly.

"Right." Kenpachi took the device and turned it off, putting it away on the desk. "Now. Tell me – _slowly -_ what's wrong."

The teenager took a breath. "I have to go to school tomorrow with this!" He pointed at his black eye. "Its horrible! And I cant even cover it up. Everyone's going to laugh."

Kenpachi pursed his lips. To him it just looked like a black eye, he had seen worse, but to Yumichika it seemed to be something entirely different. "Why will they laugh?" He asked, hoping the boy might be able to sort out the problem himself by talking.

"Because..." Yumichika hesitated. "Wouldn't you? If someone like me came in one day looking like a panda?"

He had to admit, he would, but he didn't say that. "Only if you saw it as panda eyes."

Yumichika looked confused. "How else would you see it?"

"As a trophy perhaps? A war wound? You don't have to say you got it when your little sister kicked you in the face. There's lots of other ways you can get a black eye." He continued as Yumichika looked thoughtful, obviously intrigued by the idea. "You like fighting like Ikkaku, right?" He had noticed Ikkaku showing Yumichika some of the things he had learned in his Kendo lessons and the slight teenager seemed to pick it up quite well, even from someone as inexperienced as Ikkaku. "Ikkaku doesn't care if he has cuts or a black eye. He sees it as showing his strength."

Yumichika looked dubious again. "But that's Ikkaku."

Kenpachi shrugged. "Well, there's nothing any of us can do about your eye anyway, so you'll just have to live with it. The nasty looking ones always fade quickly anyway." To his relief Yumichika seemed heartened by the snippet of information, so he decided to hazard something that he had been wondering about. "Is anything else wrong? You didn't look happy on Wednesday."

Yumichika looked at him for a moment, really looked at him, as if measuring up how far he trusted him. Eventually he stood and opened a desk drawer, rooting around until he pulled out a rather crumpled piece of paper. "We got this." He handed it to Kenpachi.

Scanning the text Kenpachi read it. "We wish to remind parents that children will be requiring their Tetanus boosters soon. Further information will be provided closer to the date." He looked at Yumichika. "You got this on Wednesday? Both of you?"

Yumichika nodded. "I took Ikkaku's one so he wouldn't give it to you."

Kenpachi didn't know whether to be angry that he had been deceived or incredulous at the lengths the teenager would go to to avoid any medical procedures at all. It honestly made him wonder what had happened to the boy. "You know, if you don't get this injection then you could end up with something a lot worse."

Yumichika shuffled. "I know...but..."

Looking back down at the sheet Kenpachi thought carefully. Having seen how Yumichika reacted to just the prospect of going to the doctor he was sure that whoever had the task of actually injecting him would have a hard time, and he had seen enough injections to know that the worry was made ten times worse by group hysteria, which would kick in despite all common sense. Any rational arguments Yumichika had with himself about the need to have the injection would be washed away as he waited with his classmates. "I cant let you not have this done. That's out of the question. But..." he held up his hand as Yumichika's face fell. "If you would prefer, I can take you and Ikkaku to have it done at the doctors, so you wont have to have it done at school." His sneaking suspicion that half of the boy's reluctance was due to fear of looking foolish in front of classmates was confirmed as Yumichika instantly perked up.

"Yes please." He hesitated. "If it's not a bother...?"

Kenpachi shook his head with a small frown. "Its better than having you as a miserable wreck for the next few months." He grinned. "You feeling better now?"

Yumichika nodded slowly. "Yeah."

Sometimes Kenpachi couldn't believe how different Yumichika and Ikkaku were considering how close they were. If something was wrong with Ikkaku the world soon knew about it, but if Yumichika was concerned about something you may never know until it was too late. "Next time tell someone. Not speaking about things just makes them worse. Yeah?"

"Sorry."

"An' don't apologise, I'm not telling you off, just telling you."

Congratulating himself on an obstacle overcome Kenpachi was just about to tell Yumichika to come downstairs when the unmistakeable smell of burning reached his nose. Obviously he had been far longer than he intended and neither Ikkaku nor Yachiru had decided that their burning lunch was important enough to intervene, or even tell him. Leaving a bemused Yumichika behind he flew down the stairs; if he could smell them upstairs then they were probably too far gone, but he might be able to save a few.

Either that or he would just have to start again. Sometimes a step forward means taking a step back first.

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**Does anyone think that I concentrate too much on Yumichika? I'm a little worried about that, so I'd like to hear what you think on the matter. ^_^**


	12. Chapter 12

**Well here it is finally! I know its been absolutely ages (All my document manager uploads have deleted themselves its been so long!) and its doubly bad since I'm one of those people who hates it if there are long gaps between uploads, but I've had so much coursework and just work generallly that I havent even had time to think about this, let alone write anything! Rest assured though, I shall take advantage of this lull before the storm of exams and do my best to get some chapters up.**

**I've only ever written Tousen once, and that was in a rather different manner from this, so I would appreciate any comments to help me keep him in character, as well as anything you want to comment on generally! XD  
**

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The ticking of the single clock in the kitchen seemed too loud for the rather small room, reverberating through the oppressive silence which pervaded the still house. Kenpachi glanced at the clock, as he had been doing for what felt like the whole afternoon. Beside him, in the floor, Yachiru sat and played with Bo-Bo quietly, sensing the heavy atmosphere.

At 3:50 the door clicked and footsteps sounded in the call, along with the sound of bags being dropped carelessly on the floor, and coats rustling as they are removed and hung up. He had to hand it to them, they had excellent timing, he would have been none the wiser under different circumstances.

He had planned it all out, he'd had enough time. He had been going to say something witty and scathing, something that would let them know he really wasn't pleased yet wasn't quite the explosion of anger that he was commonly known for, but by the time they had made their leisurely way into the kitchen his anger had got the better of him.

"Where the hell have you been all day?!"

Someone who didn't know them wouldn't have noticed the slight guilty flinch before Ikkaku schooled his expression into a masterfully blank poker-face. "At school?"

Kenpachi ground his teeth, trying to keep his temper in check; Yachiru had already retreated to her room, no doubt sensing the impending storm, but that didn't mean she couldn't hear. "Very clever, smart ass, except the school phoned this morning to tell me you hadn't come in."

"Maybe we just didn't get marked in." Ikkaku remained cool and Kenpachi had to mentally applaud his tenacity even when all hope was lost.

"Oh, I thought that too, I thought, they wouldn't lie to me, not on the first day I let them walk to school alone, but they told me they had checked your classes and you really, really weren't in." Ikkaku seemed to have no reply to that, and Yumichika suddenly found his shoes very interesting, so Kenpachi pressed the advantage. "How can you expect me to trust you if the moment I give you some freedom you disappear? How do you think this makes me look? Retsu's coming today to check up on us; what was I supposed to say if you hadn't come in?"

Yumichika shifted uncomfortably, but Ikkaku folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "Typical." He glared at the unspoken question on Kenpachi's face. "You don't care about us, you care about how we make you look! At least the others pretended."

As Ikkaku spoke Yumichika frowned slightly and touched his companion's shoulder, "Ikkaku..."

"You keep out of this, Yumichika!" The boy snapped, rounding on the surprised boy. "Don't say that everything I'm saying isn't true."

The suddenness of the accusation shocked Kenpachi, as well as the viciousness with which Ikkaku had turned on Yumichika. "Don't take this out on Yumichika" he warned, "At least he has the good sense to know when he's wrong. You think that if I had thing's I'd rather do with my time than sit around worrying about you I'd be here shouting? You don't seem to get that if I look like I can't look after you I'm gonna have custody of you and Yumichika removed, Yachiru too probably. Are you so selfish you want to ruin everything for Yumichika and Yachiru was well as yourself?" He ignored the 'keep me out of this' expression that Yumichika shot at him and focused entirely on the bristling boy in front of him.

"Its going to happen eventually anyway. Perhaps the sooner the better, then we might find someone who will treat us like adults."

As their voices had got louder Yachiru had ventured downstairs to investigate, hiding behind Yumichika, who formed a barrier between her and the increasingly furious argument. "How can I treat you like adults if you wont act like adults?" To Kenpachi's alarm Yachiru had begun to sniffle slightly. "You say you want freedom, to be treated like adults, but when I do that you take advantage of me. Make up your mind what you want!"

Ikkaku bristled even further, looking like he wanted to hit someone, but at the same time almost tearful. "This is a piece of crap! Why the hell does it matter what we do? What gives you the right to act like you care?"

The wording of the question, as well as the expression the teenager wore as he demanded an answer, threw Kenpachi entirely, so that for a moment he just stood with his mouth open. 'The right to_ act like_?' Did they really think it was just a game for him. "You idiot-" he began, but was interrupted by a feeble toll from their ailing doorbell. Was it four already? He levelled his best glare at the two boys. "If you think this is the end of this," he warned, "You've got another thing coming." Now that the core of Ikkaku's problem seemed to have come to the surface, he couldn't leave it be, but likewise, another painful cough from the direction of the door told him he couldn't leave Unohana standing on the doorstep while he solved the boy's issues.

Later he came to wish that he had chosen not to answer the door, but had ignored the stuttering call of the doorbell; not because of the issues he had within the house, but because of the issues caused by the individual outside the house. Kenpachi was more than a little taken aback when it wasn't Unohana that looked up at him from the doorstep, but a dark skinned man in sunglasses which seemed entirely out of place in the still wintry climate. "What is it?" He couldn't hide the impatience in his voice; he really didn't need some cold caller trying to sell him insurance or double glazing right this minute.

The man didn't smile. "I'm Kaname Tousen, from social services. Retsu is unable to see you today, so I will be observing you in her place."

"Oh...well...pleased to meet you." Kenpachi offered his hand, which the man took, although Kenpachi was certain that it was the last thing he wanted to do.

"Is everything alright? I heard raised voices."

How long had the guy been there? Kenpachi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Oh, well, you know, teenagers, they like to yell. I know I must seem old to them, but I'm not that old." He joked feebly.

"I see." It was clear he didn't, and that somehow made things even worse. "May I come in?"

Kenpachi stepped aside and Tousen entered, looking around himself. There was an air of constant judgement about the man which did nothing to lessen the tension or embarrassment of the visit. "The kids just got back from school, so the hall's a bit of a mess." He laughed nervously. "Any earlier and they wouldn't have been in."

"They are attending school?" Tousen didn't look at him as he spoke, instead studing the only picture in the hall, a photograph of a Kendo match in progress.

"Oh yeah, I've been making sure of that." Kenpachi didn't feel the need to add 'up until today'.

Tousen continued down the hall. "Oh really?" The statement gave away absolutely nothing about what he was thinking. "How many bedrooms does this house have?"

"Three. The boys have their own room, Yachiru sleeps with me."

For the first time Tousen looked at him. "With you?"

Realising his mistake, Kenpachi hurriedly back-pedalled. "I mean in my room, not with me! I tried giving her her own room, but she didn't like it, couldn't sleep." This really wasn't going well. "She has her own little bed...which she sleeps in..."

Again that non committal and infuriatingly obtuse phrase. "I see."

When they got to the kitchen Kenpachi clapped his hands together, businesslike. "Come on you lot, ain't you got work to do?" Ignoring the questioning stares from the two boys he shooed them from the room, closing the door firmly at their backs and hoping that they didn't decide to eavesdrop like last time. "Tea?"

"No, thank you." Tousen sat at the table. "I understand that Retsu has taken an...especial...interest in this case, so rest assured I shall do my best to report back to her faithfully." He said the word especial as if it were a dirty word, making it absolutely clear he could see no reason for and did not approve of her interest.

"Retsu has always been very helpful." Kenpachi agreed, "I hope nothing is wrong with her."

Tousen shook his head. "The flu as I understand it. Now, as I've never been here before, perhaps you wouldn't mind showing me around?"

Having no choice in the matter Kenpachi agreed, and the man examined the house carefully, asking the occasional question, and giving absolutely no opinion at all, except occasionally his lip would curl slightly, such as when Kenpachi explained that Ikkaku was taking Kendo lessons, or when he had a look in their bedrooms, and especially in the bathroom, which still hadn't recovered from the toothpaste fight Yachiru had staged that morning. Finally though, they had come full circle and Tousen was back in the kitchen. "So yeah, Its not the grandest of places, but its home."

For the first time Tousen smiled fully; Kenpachi couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. "It certainly is. Well, I think that concludes things. I shall certainly have a lot to inform Retsu of when she gets back."

"Yeah." It was odd, usually Unohana had a talk with the kids before she left, but he didn't seem to have any inclination to, indeed, he had barely inquired after them, but then everyone does things differently, and from what he had been told, Tousen had little time for the actual children under his charge.

As the man departed Kenpachi was left with the definite feeling that he had been in some sort of test, and the chances were that he had failed it, but before he could ruminate too deeply on the matter he was pounced on by Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"What did he want?"

"Why was he here?"

"What did he say to you?"

Kenpachi held up his hands against the flurry of questions being thrown at him. "Nothing...nothing! It was just a visit, Retsu's ill. Anyway..." He looked at Ikkaku. "I thought you didn't care what happened to you, so why are you so worried?"

Ikkaku looked sullen. "Yeah, well..."

When nothing else seemed to be forthcoming Kenpachi finished for him. "We don't always mean what we say when we're mad?"

The boy nodded, his jaw tight. "Yeah. I'm sorry...for being out of order."

"And for lying to you." Yumichika added quickly, ignoring the potent glare sent his way for his apparent lack of solidarity on the matter.

Kenpachi grinned, for all their defiance and passive aggression they were still just kids, and kids make mistakes. "No hard feelings." He held out his hand to Ikkaku, who took it gingerly.

"Yeah, no hard feelings."


	13. Chapter 13

**A lot of people have been asking me what Kenpachi does as job in this fic, so I wrote this as an amusement and to answer their questions...although it will come up later. Normal action will continue next chapter and I hope you enjoy! XD**

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"Hey...what do you think he does?"

Ikkaku looked up at Yumichika, his tongue still poking from the side of his mouth in concentration as he worked on the pull-along toy. The other boy had been sitting in thoughtful silence for a while now, and this was probably the reason for it. "What?"

"What does he do, for a job?" Yumichika sat forward slightly, "He must do something."

Ikkaku returned to screwing the wheels back onto the wooden toy, shrugging. "Perhaps he doesn't work. He doesn't go out in the day."

"Then where does he get money from?

"Benefits." The bald headed boy swore softly as the screwdriver slipped, gouging the wooden wheel slightly. "Stop distracting me, look what you made me do."

Yumichika leaned forward to inspect the damage. "It doesn't show, she wont notice."

"She better not" He muttered. Yachiru had been bugging him to do it for weeks, and now that he had finally given in, he wanted to do it well. He did have some pride after all.

They sat in reflective silence for a while, Ikkaku working and Yumichika watching him, shifting restlessly until he couldn't bear it any longer. "It couldn't be benefits." he burst out eventually.

Ikkaku held up a silencing finger, madly twisting the screwdriver for a few seconds until the screw was firmly embedded. "Why not?" he asked, setting the finished toy aside.

"He couldn't keep the three of us on benefits."

"You get more if you have children"

Yumichika looked dubious, "Even so..."

"What do you suggest then, genius?"

"He could be something that retired early, like a wrestler." The boy smiled smugly, obviously having thought this through carefully.

Ikkaku pursed his lips, unable to fault the other's reasoning. Kenpachi was certainly well built enough to be a wrestler, but somehow...Kenpachi in a mask and cape...he shivered and hurriedly dismissed the image from his mind. "No. Definitely not that." He paused. "But I think you're half right; how about a Fireman? They retire early."

They both paused to consider the concept of Kenpachi throwing a little old lady over his shoulder and carrying her from a burning building, or climbing up a tree to save a cat. "You know," Yumichika supplied helpfully, "Some women are really into firemen."

Ikkaku leaned back disgustedly as the other boy snickered. "Too much information Yumichika!"

"A bouncer perhaps?" The smaller boy suggested placatingly. "He could go out when we are all asleep."

Ikkaku wrinkled his nose. "Is he even allowed to do that?"

"What, bounce? Or go out while we're asleep?"

"Go out, you idiot" Ikkaku grinned good naturedly, "Anyway, I've seen him when I get up, he just reads or watches the telly." The two boys sighed at the lack of mysteriousness surrounding the large man.

"Oh! Oh! I have it!" Yumichika grinned broadly as he virtually bounced on the spot. "He could be a secret agent! You've seen him wooing Unohana, that's part of the job!"

"That's just weird... where do you get this stuff from?" Ikkaku tried to look serious, but the thought of the large man's awkwardness around the female social worker, so thick you could almost cut it, had him grinning, and before he knew it both of them were falling about with the hilarity of the idea of Kenpachi as a sophisticated and suave secret agent. "oh man...that's just too good..." The boy gasped as he held his stomach, which was beginning to hurt.

"What's good?" The innocent question silenced their laughter; although Ikkaku was still gasping for breath as Yachiru came into the room.

"Nothing." Yumichika assured her, "We were just thinking about what Kenpachi does for a job."

The girl gave the two boys a blank look. "That's obvious. He was in the army, and they let him finish early because he got hurt. He told me."

Had there had been crickets in the middle of a city, then would have been the perfect time for them to start up their song, but alas the moment came and went with nothing to emphasise the shocked silence in the room. It was only broken when Yachiru noticed the finished toy beside Ikkaku.

"Is it done?" She picked it up and inspected it before concluding that it was. "Thank you!" Planting a sloppy kiss on the boy's cheek she skipped out, hugging the toy closely.

Ikkaku turned to look at Yumichika, who was looking as mortified as he felt. "It was so obvious..."

Yumichika coughed. "I still preferred secret agent."

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**If I could draw I would so love to make this into a little cartoon...*sigh* **

**Reviews are always appreciated...especially during exam time! :P**


	14. Chapter 14

**Its been absolutely ages since I last updated hasn't it? I am terribly sorry for those who might await this with some measure of anticipation, I've just not been terribly productive recently, hopefully things will pick up now, since I managed to produce this. I also noticed its been more than a year since I first started! My reaction was something along the lines of "The people who read this must be really patient...I'm so slow!" So yes, apologies to those who have waited and many thanks for your patience and enthusiasm...I hope it doesn't wane anytime soon.** ^_^

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Kenpachi rubbed his head and looked at the damage to the car. The back bumper was warped and dented, leaving a rather spectacular crater. Looking at the damage the boot probably wouldn't be opening any time soon either. Wonderful, just wonderful.

The death of his car was just the crux of a series of increasingly unfortunate events which had shaped the morning. The alarm had failed to go off, the toaster had destroyed the last of their bread, Yachiru had gotten up in a foul mood and had spent the morning on the verge of a screaming tantrum until Kenpachi's refusal to allow her to have a party had finally thrown her over the edge, he had burst into the bathroom to put an end to Yumichika's preening only to discover him leant over the toilet bowl throwing up and having finally sorted the whole damn mess out, put Yumichika to bed with a plastic bowl and strict instructions not to move an inch and piled the others into the car _this_ had happened. It had only been a small cheap thing, but it was still his small cheap thing, and he couldn't afford another. To the other driver's credit, he did look horribly embarrassed and had made a terrible fuss of Yachiru and Ikkaku, checking they were OK and apologising profusely. Somehow the poor man had managed to miss both the red light and the rather visible backside of Kenpachi's car and run right into the back of it.

"So...does this mean we don't have to go to school?"

Kenpachi scowled at Ikkaku's hopeful expression, he had rather hoped that the boy had got over his aversion to school. "No way in hell. The car still works so you're still going. And if the car wasn't working, you would still go." He added, watching with a certain grim satisfaction as the boy's face fell.

Having exchanged details Kenpachi piled the two children into the car, fuming at the fifteen minute delay. The two of them were now quite definitely late and didn't seem to mind at all. That was all very well for Yachiru, but Ikkaku was still only in school by virtue of the headmaster's kind heart, and the less he came to the attention of the teachers the better.

"Yumichika's so lucky" Ikkaku grumbled as they waited in traffic, staring out of the window pensively.

"I think he might disagree with you."

Ikkaku snorted, "I told him not to get the chicken. 'It might not look like muck, but its dodgy' I said, but he wouldn't listen."

That was just wonderful...potential food poisoning. Kenpachi sighed and tapped the wheel impatiently. The day was still going downhill. "It isn't the chicken, even school wouldn't serve up bad food."

Ikkaku shrugged and didn't reply. The only conversation Kenpachi got out of him for the rest of the journey was a gruff goodbye when he was dropped off. He returned home to find Yumichika asleep, bowl empty by the bed. Reassured by the knowledge that if the teen was asleep then the chances were he wouldn't be required for any emergency Kenpachi sought out the number of the insurance company to make his claim and once that mess was sorted settled down in front of a film until lunch.

It had been about two weeks since the truancy incident, and the visit by Tousen, and apart from a call from Unohana nothing had seemed to come of it. The boys attended school without fail, although he couldn't vouch for what actually happened once they were in the building. They even did homework regularly, although he had to keep an eye on them to make sure it was done properly, and not just knocked off in five minutes so they could return to whatever far more interesting thing they had been doing previously. Recently as a reward for their good behaviour he had waived the rule about dropping off and collecting, allowing them to walk home alone.

All in all, things seemed to be turning around, and Kenpachi was pleased, not just because it was looking like he had been able to achieve the impossible in taming the two boys, but because they finally seemed to be warming to him. Even Ikkaku was less aggressive then he had been, and most things that had been treated with disdain or outright rebellion was only met with a scowl that seemed to be more tradition than anything before he caved.

Yumichika reappeared at about two o'clock looking decidedly green as he peered around the doorway. "What are you cooking?"

"Chicken soup. Want some?"

Yumichika looked greener if that was at all possible and shook his head cautiously. "No. Could you...make the smell go away?" He looked at little desperate as he added, "Please?"

Kenpachi looked from the pot of soup to Yumichika. Perhaps chicken soup had been a bad idea. "Yeah, sorry. I'll open some windows." Manners were still an issue with Yumichika, so for him to actually say please probably meant that his situation was quite dire, and Kenpachi hurried to open the windows. He really didn't want the boy throwing up in the middle of the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" He asked eventually.

"Sick."

Kenpachi rolled his eyes. "You don't say. How do you feel _apart_ from sick?"

"What difference does it make? I feel awful...I _look_ awful." Yumichika pulled distastefully at his hair. "Look...its all lank and...icky. Not to mention I'm probably a lovely shade of green-grey right now."

Kenpachi knew he could hardly be surprised at the outburst, but the boy's vanity always managed to amaze him. "Well, its not like anyone's here to see you." He offered in consolation.

"You're here!"

"But," Kenpachi smiled crookedly, "I don't count do I?"

Yumichika looked exasperated. "Of course you do." he opened his mouth to continue but closed it quickly as a breeze wafted the smell of chicken past.

Foreseeing a mop and copious amounts of bleach in the near future Kenpachi took control. "Bed! You shouldn't be up if you feel that bad. And for God's sake use the bowl if you feel like you're gonna puke!" He called after the teenager's retreating back. Kenpachi allowed himself a smile as the pounding of feet faded; so he was now among the rare group of people for whom their perception of Yumichika's appearance was considered important by the teenager in question. Interesting.

The rest of the afternoon was, thankfully, uneventful. Yachiru was angelic when he picked her up, no doubt making up for her transgressions earlier, and while Yumichika didn't return from the safety of his room, Kenpachi could hear him moving about up there. All that remained was for Ikkaku to come home and the worst of the day would be over.

Half past three arrived in a timely manner; Ikkaku should be leaving school. Quarter to four, four o'clock, no sign of Ikkaku, but perhaps he was meandering or took a roundabout rout to walk with his friends. By the time half past four sailed past with no sign of the shaven headed teenager Kenpachi was beginning to worry. He could envisage all manner of things that could have happened to the teenager as he walked home, he wasn't known for being particularly careful or observant. Eventually he sought out Yumichika.

"D'you know where Ikkaku is?"

Yumichika looked up from his phone. "No."

"Well can't you call him?"

"I already did. There was no answer." Something in the boy's tone rang alarm bells in Kenpachi. The reply had been just a little to quick, too brief. Yumichika always knew where Ikkaku was, it was just one of those things that had always been and always would be, like the Pope being Catholic and bears...well, you know how it goes. Evidently Yumichika's loyalties still laid first and foremost with Ikkaku.

"You sure? You really don't know where he is?" Kenpachi narrowed his eyes. "You know what I think of liars, especially if he's getting into some sort of trouble and you're trying to cover it up."

Yumichika looked uncertain for a moment and seemed to be wavering but any confessions he might have been about to give were interrupted by the phone ringing downstairs. There was a pattering of feet in the hall and a click as Yachiru picked it up, as she had taken to recently in an attempt to be adult. In the resounding silence that followed he could hear Yumichika shifting on the bed and the high murmur of Yachiru's voice.

"Uh-huh...I'll get him..."

"Who is it Yachiru?" he called.

"I don't know. A woman wants you."

His hopes dashed that it might be Ikkaku and really, really hoping it wasn't Unohana Kenpachi hurried down the stairs to the phone, which Yachiru was helpfully holding out for him.

"She doesn't sound very nice..." The little girl whispered not so quietly to him as he took it and looked apologetic as he shushed her.

"Hello, Kenpachi speaking."

"Hello. This is Sergeant Soi Fon. I'm calling to let you know that your son, Ikkaku is at the station..."

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**As always, I'm a tart when it comes to reviews, the more the better...so get typing people! :P**


	15. Chapter 15

**Look how quickly I updated...I'm so proud of myself! XD**

**Just a quick note before we start...from here on in I can't guarentee that everything I'm writing about is factually accurate. I have an acceptable knowledge of the law on police detention (Thank you Law A-Level!) but the rest is what makes sense to me and what little I can garner from asking people and the internet. Corrections would of course be most welcome, I always like to make things as correct as possible, I'm just saying this so people don't get offended or send me a list with everything I did wrong. ^_^  
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"Hello, this is sergeant Soi Fon. I'm letting you know that your son, Ikkaku is at the police station."

For a moment Kenpachi doubted that he had heard right, surely the woman on the other hand of the phone hadn't just said that Ikkaku had been arrested and taken to a police station? That just wasn't possible...not even Ikkaku could be that stupid, could he?

Apparently unaware of Kenpachi's disbelief the woman continued; "He was picked up in the middle of a fight at about four o'clock this afternoon-"

"Picked up?" Kenpachi grabbed at the lifeline like a man drowning, "So he's not under arrest?"

"Oh yes, he has been arrested" She really didn't sound pleased to have been interrupted. "Legally I'm obliged to inform you of his arrest, and to request your presence at the station as soon as possible." There was a long silence. "Mr Zaraki? Are you still there?"

Kenpachi shook himself mentally. "Yeah, sorry. I'll come down straight away."

Yumichika flinched at Kenpachi's expression when he came back upstairs, "W-what happened?"

"Ikkaku's been arrested." Kenpachi was having a hard time controlling his voice. "Don't look at me like that, you knew what he was doing."

"I-"

"I don't care. Just get your sorry butt out of here and into the car, we've gotta go to the station." He knew that Yumichika was sick, but there was nothing he could do about it, he could hardly leave him in the house alone in the current situation. He was also a little bit too angry to care, perhaps it might teach the boy a lesson, a tiny, vindictive part of him whispered as he watched Yumichika scamper out of the room.

"What's happening?" A small voice at his knee asked.

"We gotta go out and get Ikkaku." He told Yachiru, picking her up.

She smiled happily as she clung to his shirt. "You found him?"

"Something like that."

The three of them were met at the police station by a small, severe looking woman who introduced herself as Soi Fon and led them into a a well furnished waiting room where they found Ikkaku, split lip and pad over his eyebrow, sitting rigidly in a chair. Kenpachi never would have thought he would see the day the sullen teenager would look relieved to see him, but he did; he didn't even seem to mind Yachiru's shrieks of 'Cue-ball!' when she spotted him.

"He was involved in a fight with students from another school near here. When officers tried to break it up he attacked one of them too." Soi Fon said, sounding distasteful "Considering his age and the seriousness of the offence we won't be prosecuting. However this is his second time for something like this, so he will get a warning. I've already spoken to a member of the Youth Offending Team, who will be getting in touch with you at some point in the future."

Kenpachi glanced over to Ikkaku, who was being fussed over by Yumichika. His second time for fighting? That was new. "I see. Thank you."

"Also," Soi Fon smiled thinly, "I'm afraid I'll be needing to inform social services of his."

Kenpachi's heart sank. "Of course." He could just imagine what might happen if someone like Tousen got his grubby little hands on this titbit of information, and he could not foresee it ending well. After that Ikkaku was allowed to leave the station however, and all of them made their way out with some relief.

The journey home was silent. Neither Yumichika nor Ikkaku seemed to want to talk and Kenpachi was still too angry to be able to say anything sensible. It was only when they were finally through the door that He turned to Ikkaku. "Why? A reprimand previously and then you go and do something like this...do you really wanna ruin yourself that badly? And don't think that you're gonna be able to sneak away Yumichika, you're in just as much trouble as him." He warned as he saw the dark haired teenager surreptitiously trying to leave up the stairs.

Ikkaku looked defiant. "They called me a coward! They said that the only thing I was good for was talking big and strutting around. I couldn't just let them get away with saying that." He stared at the ground miserably, "I don't expect you to get it-"

"I do." When Ikkaku looked up in shock Kenpachi shrugged, "They insulted you, they challenged your 'manhood' and I guess for a kid your age that's important, but by letting it get to you you let them win, understand? Sometimes you have to stop and think, instead of flying in fists first. You haven't lost until you admit that they've beat you."

"I...I don't understand."

Kenpachi sighed. "You will one day."

"You're not mad?"

Kenpachi narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I'm mad, mad as anything, and disappointed, I thought we were past this, but what's done is done, no point in crying over spilt milk. And what about this policeman you took a swing at as well?"

Ikkaku fidgeted uncomfortably. "It was a mistake, he grabbed me...I didn't mean to..."

Kenpachi understood, he knew the feeling of losing yourself in the fight, until you almost didn't know when to stop and you struck out at a friend by accident, but that was in a real fight, the sort where losing meant pain or even death; not the sort of scrum that kids got into over a little wounded pride. Exactly how had Ikkaku gotten into the sort of mindset where fighting was second nature? He would have liked to ask about the teen's previous brush with the law, but somehow he knew that it was an issue best left for later. Instead he simply regarded them, watching them squirm under his gaze; there was little point in being angry now, he could punish the two boys all he liked, and make no mistake he would, but somehow he knew that they would have to learn their lesson themselves, and that just withdrawing privileges or yelling at them wouldn't really work.

"You OK?" He asked eventually, taking in the boy's bruised and cut mouth and the cotton pad over his eye.

Ikkaku wiped his lip defiantly, "'s nothing, I've had worse."

"Good," Kenpachi grinned wickedly, "because I want you to appreciate every moment of what I have planned for the two of you. What? You think that because I'm not yelling you're off the hook? Neither of you are going out except for school, and you're back to being picked up and dropped off at the gate. Not to mention I have a backlog of absolutely _lovely_ jobs for you."

Their expressions were very gratifying, they almost made up for everything that they had put him through today. Kenpachi began to think that perhaps after this they could all go back to normal, it was entirely likely that nothing would come of Ikkaku's little trip into police custody, after all, it had happened once before. Kenpachi allowed himself a small smile as he ushered the boys towards their first job.

And then everything fell apart.

It began the next day after he had picked the children up from school. He answered a knock on the door to discover Tousen standing there with Soi Fon at his side, and a piece of paper in his hand. Pieces of paper were never good in Kenpachi's experience.

"Mr Zaraki. Following the events yesterday it has been decided that there is a significant risk to the children in your custody's safety, and emergency measures have been put into place to remove them from your custody until the matter can be taken to court." Tousen didn't beat about the bush in the slightest. "All the details are here, you will of course be able to represent yourself at the hearing. Now, if you don't mind calling the children? If they are here of course." If it were anyone else Kenpachi might have thought that he was making a cruel joke, but Tousen had a sort of terrifying sincerity about him. He really believed that what he was doing was right.

Which is exactly why he didn't doubt for a moment that this wasn't happening, it was only vestigial optimism that made him turn to Soi Fon and ask, "Can he do this?"

She nodded, "If they have reason to suspect that they are being seriously abused or neglected."

"Heh," he snorted, "You wasted no time in taking advantage of this."

Tousen looked at him quizzically. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. Now, the children, please."

Kenpachi knew he shouldn't, really, but what did he have to lose now? "Oh don't give me that crap. I saw you when you came over, snooping around and sneering at everything, you were hardly open minded then, and the kids told me all about you and your attitudes..."

Soi Fon stepped forward warningly, "Mr Zaraki, If you're going to-"

"Oh don't get yerself all in a twist" He dismissed her, stepping aside to let them in. As they went into the front room he called Ikkaku and Yumichika, unable to look at the confusion on their faces.

"What's happening?" Ikkaku was the first to speak as he glared at Tousen, "Why's _he_ here?"

Kenpachi found it surprisingly hard to speak, there was an unexpected lump in his throat as he looked at the boys' expectant faces. "They...They're here to collect you. They decided you're not safe with me."

"Not safe? What do you mean not safe?"

"Do you mean they're going to take us away again?" Yumichika added.

Tousen answered the boys' questions. "That is correct, you will be coming with us until we can find an appropriate foster family-"

Then everyone started to talk at once. Assertions of Kenpachi's innocence mixed with defiant claims that they were not moving an inch ran over the top of Tousen's level voice, drowning him out. After a moment Yachiru's shrill voice was added to the mixture as she came to see what was going on. Soi Fon actually looked rather amused by the situation, although it was anything but funny.

Finally Kenpachi decided that enough was enough. "Quiet!" Even Tousen stopped talking, Kenpachi found that his voice always seemed to have that effect when he raised it. He turned to the boys. "If what he's doing is legal then there's nothing I can do about it. I'll not sit quietly by though, I can appeal this right, so I will."

Tousen stepped in, "They will need to collect some clothes and suchlike, If you would be so kind to do the same for Yachiru-"

"Yachiru?" Now it was Kenpachi's turn to talk over the Social Worker, who between the lot of them was being cut off every other sentence. "Yachiru too?"

"Yes, the emergency measures apply to all of your children" Tousen said, turning away, "Say your goodbyes, Mr Zaraki, This may be the last time you see them."

Kenpachi knew he would never forget the moment that the three children walked out of his door accompanied by Tousen and Soi Fon. Perhaps it was the expressions of betrayal and hurt on the faces of Ikkaku and Yumichika as they glanced back at him, or the neighbours who were leaning out of their windows to see what all the commotion was about and why the police were visiting his house which made it such an awful experience. Most of all though it was the way Yachiru writhed and screamed in Tousen's arms as she tried to get back to him which really bought the whole rotten mess crashing home.

He had failed. They had come so, so far, but in the end, he had lost the battle.

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**Reviews (and corrections) are, as always, most welcome, nay, needed! I love hearing what you all have to say. ^_^**


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